The Family We Gain
by Sargerogue
Summary: Six months after the Avengers are reformed they go on a mission that will change many things. It all starts with finding a little blond haired blue eyed teenager that clings to Steve when the Avengers infiltrate the only home she knows. She soon becomes part of the family. Rated T because I'm cautious. Cap/Black Widow
1. Prologue

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE AVENGERS. MARVEL DOES. **

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_**AUTHOR'S NOTE BEFORE AND AFTER PLEASE READ! **_

_**Hi, Sargerogue here. Second Avengers fic, first multi-chapter fic. I will upload this prologue and the first chapter. I hope you like them, tell me what you think, and please no inferno flames. I will try to update these once a week but I will be starting school soon so I might not be consistent. Anyway, this chapter is an intro with an author's note inside of it as well as at the beginning and end. **_

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After splitting up from Loki's attack, the Avengers went their separate ways for the most part. Bruce moved in with Pepper and Tony. Tony gave him the run of the labs as long as Bruce helped him with projects and handling the business along with being a superhero. Bruce accepted and soon found he liked having a bed to sleep on every night and food every day. The two Science Bros as Pepper nicknamed them got along well and when one was in trouble, the other was always there to save the other's ass.

Natasha and Clint were still SHIELD agents but not the same type that they had been before. Sure, they were still spies and assassins and had their regular work to do, but now they also dealt with the superhero side as they both liked it. Nick normally sent them out after those new superheroes to talk to them. Well, other than some of them.

Steve moved into his apartment again and beat the living hell out of punching bags every day. He took on a similar job to Natasha and Clint's but he didn't get the unique jobs that would pop up, or the ones that took more than a week to complete. Nick thought that was pushing it too much.

Thor took Loki back to Asgard where his little brother was under "house arrest" with his magic bound so he could not use it. Loki was silent most of time even when Thor tried to reconnect with Loki. Even though Loki had killed Agent Coulson, Thor still couldn't hate his brother. Thor helped his father and Hiemdal rebuild the Bifrost using the Tesseract. Thor began to travel to Earth as he pleased and saw Jane many times. But their first love had diminished as things changed. Odin continued to push for Sif and Thor to get married but Thor refused. If only he knew.

In the world surrounding the Avengers, other superheroes and their teams emerged.** (NOTE TO READERS: Hi, your friendly neighborhood writer here. I combined a lot of the different comic, TV, and movie universes. I've used to my knowledge: Earth-616, Earth-199999 ((the one this is marked under)), Earth 80920, Earth-TRN123, Earth-11052, Earth-10005 ((not really, just a few ideas from it)), and Earth-92131. They're just the shows, TV, and mainstream universes. You can look them up on the Marvel Comics Database. I'll send you the link if you want. Also I've picked up little thorns of ideas from other fictions I've read. If you read something and you know who I got it from, tell me so I can credit them. Or have them tell me.)**

**(To continue)** The X-Men have formed but are staying pretty low cover, seeing as they're mostly older teenagers (yes there's a reason for that). The Fantastic Four are somewhere around doing god knows what. Hank Pym and his wife Janet Van Dyne-Pym are around as well. Where, well, that's anybody's guess really. Logan, a.k.a. James Howlett, a.k.a. Wolverine, is with the X-Men but works with SHIELD frequently alongside his clone daughter Laura Logan, a.k.a. X-23. James Barnes, the Winter Soldier, is working for SHIELD in the special ops sector. Nick Fury Jr. has joined SHIELD and frequently works with Logan and Barnes.

In New York, Spider-Man (Peter Parker) is attending Midtown High as a Junior when he comes up. He's joined by his superhero teammates Ava Ayala (White Tiger), Luke Cage (Power Man), Daniel Rand (Iron Fist), and Sam Alexander (Nova). These are just some of the people in this story. Have fun.** (Any questions? Contact me.)**

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_**Seriously, contact me. I'll talk, clear up things. And if you don't want to review, send me a message with your thoughts or a question. And please **_

_**READ AND REVIEW! **_


	2. The Girl

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE AVENGERS. MARVEL DOES. **

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"Move it team," Steve orders as he, Tony, and Hulk break through the boundaries of the target's compound. Tony breaks through the ceilings of the building and infiltrates the control room within seconds of the attack beginning. Tony accesses the computers and starts to download all the information onto a hard drive he's carrying in his suit. Hulk and Thor, the Asgardian Prince just arriving from yet another trip to Asgard, take out the north wall with ease. The pair then marches off to the manufacturing plant where they proceed to smash everything in the room into dust like ordered. Clint sits perched on top of the quinjet at the top of the hill ready to give long-range assistance. He scans for any reinforcements coming from outside the walls but sees none. He also has standing orders to pilot the quinjet to the compound if they need to get out fast.

Steve and Natasha walk through the hole in the wall he had made to the main building. The super soldier and the super spy break down the metal door and proceed into the building to get the scientists. Apparently, this little ragtag group is playing around with a super soldier serum. Steve and Natasha really don't want replicates so they get to deal with the scientists. Natasha pulls Steve back before the bullet can hit him and she shoots the automatic gun from the wall.

"Tony how long until you're done?" Natasha asks as they get access to the staircase.

"Uh, four minutes. However, I found something you all might want to hear about. You know how you're supposed to go after the scientists. I'd suggest going for the prisoners kept a level down from the labs. The scientists were executed yesterday. However, there are fifteen prisoners in the level below the labs. We should get them out, don't yah think?" Tony remarks casually.

"We never got any Intel on prisoners. Are you sure Tony?" Steve questions the man.

"Yeah, Capsicle I am." Steve makes a mental note to punch him twice as hard in training later this week. The soldier and the spy nod at each other as they reach the door to the lowest floor. The floor is the labs but a secondary door at the end of the hall leads down lower. Natasha shoots the lock and Steve kicks the door in. The room will be forever known in Steve's mind as a dungeon because that's sure as hell what it was. It is dark, damp, and just plain creepy and that comes from a man that had seen many creepy things in his lifetime.

"I found the key," Natasha says grabbing it off the hook next to the staircase. Steve nods for Natasha to open the first cell while he fishes out a flashlight. He checks on the prisoner, a young woman no more than 18 in age. He finds no pulse at her wrist or neck and shakes his head in disgust. The stiff body tells him she's been dead for a while and the blue tinged lips hint to the cause of death. Natasha has already opened the second cell and checked on the man inside only to discover he is dead as well. The third cell turns out to be the same. As they move toward the next cell, they hear a noise.

"Help me," a soft male voice from the fourth cell calls. Natasha hurries to open the cell door and Steve bolts inside to aid the middle-aged man there. "You have come to help us?"

"Yes. Can you walk?" Steve asks.

"If you can help me up. My arm, it is broken, it is painful to sit up," the man says. Steve helps the man sit up and then helps him get to his feet. The man walks out of the doorway in his rag clothes. He cradles his arm with some of his shirt, holding the limb close to his body. The level of paleness tells both Avengers he hasn't seen the sun in a long time.

"Stay here a moment," Steve instructs him. Natasha opens the rest of the doors and the pair helps the survivors stand up and exit their cells. They survivors gather at the front of the dungeon and the Avengers do a head count.

"Counting the dead, we're still a person short according to Stark," Natasha tells Steve. A young woman turns toward them.

"The child," she says, "they keep her behind that wall." The woman points to the back wall. There's an obvious crease where the bricks pull apart to reveal a door. "

"How do we get through it?" Steve asks the woman. A young man, the one with the cell next to the wall, walks to the door and presses the stone as the two Avengers follow him. The brick wall slides away to reveal a cell door hidden behind the wall.

"They say she is dangerous. They use her for training, like a human punching bag or something to track and hunt. They also force her to executions. Send in the girl and she gets close to the target before killing them," the man tells them. HE looks Steve directly in the eye. "She always comes back hurt. She never talks. She's always crying and whimpering. They've had to install this door because she kept killing the guards when they came around for rounds. I don't blame her, with what they've done to her." The man walks away to the group. Natasha orders them all to leave and turns toward the cell where Steve is staring. He hands her the flashlight after she opens the cell door and walks in. Natasha steps inside the cell and shines the light until she sees the blond hair of the child in the corner of the room. She illuminates the girl who is curled up in the smallest ball Natasha has ever seen a child curl up into. Steve walks closer to the girl.

"Little girl," he says cautiously. She looks up at him, pale and sickly skin surrounds pale and lifeless blue eyes. A child's eyes should be vibrant and happy not lifeless and full of fear. As Steve and Natasha continue to examine her, they can see the multiple healing lacerations and bruises under her rags called clothes. She stares at them with fear clear on her face.

"I'm not going to hurt you," Steve says as she tries to shrink into the corner even more. "I'm here to free all the prisoners, okay? They won't hurt you anymore, I promise." He comes closer as dust shakes from the roof. A fight must be happening upstairs. The girl starts to cry as he approaches her. "I swear I won't hurt you, okay? I want to get you of here. Can you stand?" She pulls up her sliced up skirt to reveal lacerations on her legs. They're deep enough that he doesn't even want her to move a little bit.

"Steve, maybe you should have Tony come get her," Natasha suggests.

"I'm going to pick you up, okay? I promise I won't let anyone hurt you like this again, okay? My name is Captain America. Do you know what that means?" She shakes her head fiercely as he comes closer, only a few inches from her. The whole building shakes badly. "That means that I'm a good person, okay? Take my hand if you'll let me pick you up and carry you out of this place." He offers her his hand. She grabs it firmly and pulls herself close to him. She starts to cry into the front of his uniform, her hands are clutching the fabric with all her might which isn't much considering how underfed she is. He wraps his arms around her and picks her up in his arms. He stands and Natasha joins them.

"I thought she was going to kill you," Natasha mutters examining the girl.

"So did I for a second. But I saw something familiar in her eyes," Steve murmurs and Natasha raises an eyebrow cuing her boyfriend to continue talking. "I saw the need for love and for survival. Bruce will have to take a look at these wounds. They're pretty bad." They head for the cell door as a catastrophic crash occurs in front of the cage and right behind them. Natasha drops to the ground and Steve does too, the pair shielding the girl between them against the wall. They press themselves up close against the cage bars as the ceiling and walls around them collapse. After a few minutes, everything settles and the dust clears. Natasha shines the flashlight around and reveals a little bit of room for them to stretch out.

"Uh, Tony," Natasha says into her communicator, "do you think you guys can dig us out?"

"Where are you?!" Clint demands.

"The dungeon. We were retrieving the little girl from the last cell when the place folded in on itself. We got breathing room for a little while," Natasha reports.

"How much space?" Tony asks.

"Uh, six feet by maybe twelve feet by ten feet high," Natasha answers.

"A few hours," Tony says. "Can we blast some away?"

"Yeah, no. We're pressed in between steel bars and rubble," Natasha snaps.

"Medically, how are you?" Bruce asks. Apparently he was no longer in Hulk form.

"The kid is hurt, but that was already apparent," Steve answers. "Too many lacerations to count, some are pretty deep but the bleeding is slow. She's severely undernourished and I don't think she's seen the sun in a few months."

"Do you have any cloth with you? Something you can put over her eyes?" Bruce asks.

"No."

"All right, you'll have to hide her eyes then when we get down to you. The sun would hurt her if she hasn't been topside for a while. I'll Hulk out and start digging," Bruce tells them.

"We'll get you out. A second quinjet is on its way for the other prisoners and Clint is flying ours down to administer some medical help. Just hold on," Tony orders.

"Not like we're going anywhere," Natasha mutters. She sits down next to Steve and the little girl. "We should save the battery." She fingers the power switch for the flashlight. The little girl nods.

"Do it," Steve agrees. Natasha turns off the light and the room is pitch black. The girl whimpers softly. "Don't worry, you're safe with us." She curls into Steve's side tighter.

"We're going to be here a while, might as well get comfortable," Natasha mutters. They can hear her lay down and Steve does the same. The little blond curls up on his chest and Natasha moves in closer.

"Are you cold?" Steve asks the little girl. Steve feels her nod against his chest. "Natasha, can you lay on your side? I'm going to move on my side and we can keep her warm."

"All right." The two adults move in unison and sandwich the teenager between them. They can feel the little girl shivering between them. Steve and Natasha wrap their arms around her and slowly she stops shivering.

"How long until it gets really hot?" Steve asks Natasha.

"Well, it's been a while. I don't know, I'm getting a little warm," Natasha answers. A few minutes pass before the silence is broken.

"Scared," the girl between them says. "I scared."

"Shush, sweetheart, we'll be fine. Do you have a name?" Natasha asks her.

"N-no."

"Well, we'll take care of that once we get out of here, okay? My name is Natasha."

"And I'm Steve," Steve continues as he adjusts his arms. He can see the faint outline of Natasha stroking the little girl's hair.

"Want name," she says. The two Avengers think about it for a few minutes. Steve strokes her arms and smiles softly.

"How about Sarah?" Steve asks her. "Sarah was my mother's name."

"Like it." She snuggles in closer to Steve while pulling Natasha with her. "Me Sara." They smile and Natasha brushes the child's hair back more. The two Avengers continue to murmur to the child for a while, around twenty minutes though it feels like a few hours. The space is getting warmer. The ground shakes and some rubble comes down on them. Large sections of concrete pin them close together against the cell bars. Sarah cries loudly as a larger section comes down on their legs pinning them there. Steve and Natasha try to move the section but they can't get leverage on it. Steve moves his shield off his back and places it over their heads for protection.

"Natasha, Steve, do you read?" Tony asks.

"We read you," Steve answers.

"Good. We're about three feet from the top of the floor keep you all safe. Can you get in a corner and the Hulk can rip a whole in the rubble?" Tony inquires.

"Can't. Whatever you guys just did caused rubble to come down on us. We're pinned against the bars and our legs are pinned under a slab of concrete that's buried in this pile. I'm shielding our faces with my shield though," Steve says.

"Well, we can read your energy signatures. Get ready to be buried under some light rubble. We'll get it off once we get down there," Tony tells them.

"Sarah, Natasha, fold yourselves as close to that slab as you can. They're about to send some more down here," Steve mutters. The three of them fold their bodies so they're almost completely covered by the shield and slab of concrete. Stark's repulsors go off along with an explosion from Thor's hammer striking the rubble above them. A shower of rubble comes down on them and Sarah screams in fright. Natasha shushes and soothes her as the rubble hits their shields. The rubble settles and then the sound of movement fills the air.

"Hurry Hulk! We need to get them out!" Tony shouts.

"Hulk find them!" Hulk roars. The pressure around and above them lessens drastically in a few minutes. The concrete on their legs is lifted off and Steve shoves his shield up pushing the rubble off it. Hulk's grinning face greets them. Sarah screeches at the light and a black cloth is extended from Hulk's hand. Steve takes it and wraps it around Sarah's eyes. The material allows her to see through it but dims it so she's not in pain.

"Sarah, hey, we're getting you out of here, okay," Steve says. Tony lands and helps Natasha up from the ground. "Sarah, Tony's going to get you out of the pit, okay? He's a good friend of mine, you can trust him."

"Me want you," she says.

"I'll be right up, okay?" She nods and releases her hold on Steve's uniform. Tony crouches and Steve moves her into his arms. Tony's mask slides up.

"Hi, I'm Tony. Can you wrap your arms around my neck?" Sarah does and he engages the repulsors sending them into the air. They land next to the quinjet where Clint is waiting.

"Ouch," Clint says looking at Sarah, "what happened to her?" Tony lays her down on a cot in the quinjet; the other jet had already left. "Oh, one of the other prisoners wanted you to have this." Tony takes the note and reads it quickly. He growls in frustration.

"Want Steve," Sarah says. The Hulk lands just outside of the ramp with both Natasha and Steve in his arms. Thor lands next to them a second later. Natasha wraps a blanket around Bruce as he shrinks down while Steve rushes over to Sarah's side. He smiles down at her and strokes her face.

"What are you crying about? I told you I'd be up here. My buddy Bruce is going to check you over, okay? Don't be afraid." Sarah nods and Bruce, in new pants and pulling a shirt on, walks over to address his patient. Clint heads for the nearest base, New Mexico, where Nick Fury is waiting for them. Steve sits with Sarah, helping her stay sitting up as Bruce cleans the wounds on her torso. Bruce feels her ribs and she winches in a few places. After dealing with those wounds, Steve lays her down and she sets her head in his lap. She reaches for his hand and Steve takes it in his hand. He strokes her hair and murmurs comforting words every time she winces. Bruce ends up wrapping almost all of her legs in bandages because of the wounds. He addresses her arms and then moves on to her face. There are a few small cuts on her face, one right below her hairline, another on her jaw, and one that runs from under her right eye to her hairline.

"She's going to need some shots to get her up to date on vaccinations but she'll be fine in a month or two physically," Bruce tells Steve. "Mentally the recovery will take years." Bruce looks down at the girl as he takes a pad of paper in his hands. "Can you tell me your name?"

"Steve call me Sarah. He name me." Bruce looks up at Steve who nods.

"She wanted a name."

"All right then Sarah; can you tell me how old you are?" Bruce continues.

"Born on July 4th, me one and five," she answers. Bruce cocks an eyebrow and draws a number.

"Like this?" Bruce asks pointing to the number.

"Yeah."

"That's fifteen. Um, do you know how you got there?" Sarah stiffens and grips Steve's hand tighter. He sets his free hand on her hair and strokes it softly.

"Made there. No more. Please." Bruce nods.

"That's enough for now. Rest easy, little one." She turns her face into Steve's hand to hide the tears on her face. He comforts her the best he can but he's never had much interaction with children outside of his orphanage.

"Hey, Sarah," Natasha says walking up to the pair. Sarah looks at Natasha with innocence on her face. Her eyes are wide with fear. "Can you drink some water and eat some food? You need your energy." Sarah nods and Steve helps her sit up on the cot. Natasha takes the seat that Bruce had been using and sets the small tray on Sarah's lap. Sarah takes the sandwich in her hand and eats it slowly. She glances at Natasha periodically, almost fearful that the Avenger is going to take away the food.

"We're not going to take away your food," Natasha tells her, "it wouldn't be right. I was once a lot like you. A child raised to be something that I shouldn't have been. Nevertheless, I turned out pretty good I'm an Avenger. Maybe one day you could be too." Sarah smiles and eats the food with more gusto. Natasha hands her the water and the child drinks it quickly. Sarah smiles widely at her. She leans over and hugs Natasha.

"Thank you." Natasha smiles and rubs the kid's back in a return hug.

"No problem kiddo."

"We're landing in a few minutes," Clint informs the Avengers. Steve holds Sarah closer to his body as the plane shifts. Sarah clings to him tightly as Clint goes in to land. The landing is soft and Steve picks up the teenager in his arms.

"What happen me now?" she asks him with concern plainly written on her innocent face.

"Well, SHIELD will take care of you at a base. They'll get you healthy again, help you adjust to life, and get you ready to integrate into some home. After that, I don't know," he answers as he heads for the ramp. "I'm sure they're going to have some questions about that place."

"No! Memories hurt!" Sarah cries out.

"I know sweetheart, I know." Steve personally carries the teenager through the building to the exam room she's been assigned. Once there, Sarah clings to Steve since she's scared of this new place.

"Rogers, come on," Fury says from the doorway of the teenager's room.

"She doesn't want me to leave her," Steve informs him as the blond clings to his arm tighter. "She's scared Director."

"Well, we need to debrief and send you back to New York." Steve looks down at the kid again. He sits down and cups her face in one hand.

"Sweetie, I have to leave now. I know you don't want me to but these people here are going to take care of you, okay? I'll try to see you again, I promises," Steve says. Sarah loosens her grip on his arm.

"Steve me miss you. Don't want you leave," Sarah cries. Steve smiles sadly and brushes her hair back from her face.

"I know Sarah, I know. Now listen, if you ever need me, just tell SHIELD you want to see Captain Steve Rogers, okay? They'll get a message to me." Sarah nods and hugs Steve tightly. Steve returns the gesture and walks to Fury's side. Steve looks back at the blond and nods at her. She smiles sadly and watches him leave the room. She brings her legs up to her chest and cries. The first person that had ever protected and cared about her was gone along with the others.

Hours later, the Avengers board their quinjet to return to New York. They're all quiet.

"I don't feel good about leaving Sarah behind," Steve mutters as he sits down in one of the quinjet seats. Natasha sits down next to him and wraps an arm around his shoulders.

"None of us do, Steve," Natasha says. "They're doing a trace on the guys responsible now. With luck we can take them out soon and she'll be safe." Steve nods and leans into his girlfriend. Natasha kisses the top of his head in a comforting manner. Steve glances out the open ramp at the level of the building that Sarah's in. She's alone in there, without a friend.

"Fury, come to say goodbye?" Tony asks Nick walks up the ramp to them.

"Yes I am. The prisoners are being returned to their homes are sent to SHIELD bases where they can integrate into society again," Fury says.

"What about Sarah?" Bruce inquires looking up from where he had been staring at the ground.

"Who?"

"Sarah, the one that was clinging to me," Steve clarifies.

"We'll be rehabilitating her and helping her adjust to being free. We have some questions for her as well but that will come after we get her speech up. After that, well, I suppose she'll be put in the care of a SHIELD agent," Fury tells them. "So Sarah is her name?"

"Steve named her," Natasha informs Fury. "She wanted a name."

"Well, we'll take good care of Sarah. Have a safe trip."

"Sir," Steve says, as Fury is about to leave, "I'd be interested in taking Sarah in when she's done with rehabilitation, if it's all right with Tony." Steve looks at Tony who nods.

"It would be interesting to have a kid around the Tower. I'll have a room waiting for her," Tony says. Nick nods and walks out of the jet. "Congrats Cap, I think you just volunteered yourself for being a dad. It's a girl." Steve smirks as he thinks about it. He doesn't look all that much older than she does but he'd like to hear her call him Dad. Natasha kisses Steve's cheek.

"She can be ours," Natasha whispers in his ear. "She'll be our daughter if we get her. You know I can't have kids." Steve kisses Natasha and she smiles at him. It wasn't completely true that she couldn't have kids; she just needed drugs to be able to. The two hope that they get that little girl. Hawkeye pilots them home to where Pepper is waiting with Jane.

Back inside the building, the door to Sarah's room opens up to reveal Director Fury and Agent Maria Hill. They walk in and Sarah looks up at them as they come closer to her bed. Fury holds out his hand and a pair of dog tags hangs down from his fingertips. Sarah takes them cautiously from him and runs her fingers across the letters.

"I'm Army, so I fitted you with that type of dog tag," Fury says. Sarah looks up at him and then at the tags.

"Who Rogers, Sarah N.?" she asks.

"Well, Captain Rogers gave you your first name. I thought it was fitting that you also have his last name. Then for the middle name, we used the name of his girlfriend, Natasha. Hope you don't mind about us picking out the other parts of your name, but we thought you should have a complete name." Sarah looks at the dog tags and then at Fury and Hill before glancing back down at the dog tags.

"Thank you." She slips the chain on around her neck and sets the tags on her heart. "Who you?"

"I am Director Nick Fury of SHIELD, and this is my second in command, Special Agent Maria Hill. For now you'll be residing with SHIELD."

"What happen me?"

"Well, we're going to help you adjust to normal life. We have some questions but those won't come until later when you're ready. Then we'll see if you can be relocated to someone that SHIELD trusts to take care of you. We already have a few candidates in mind. You'll be well taken care of, Miss Rogers." Sarah glances at her hands and then looks up at Nick.

"Me stay with Steve, please."

"We'll see. Now, Maria is going to help you into a wheelchair and we're going to take you to another room. There's a friend of the Avengers there and he is a big fan of the Captain. You two can keep each other company. You have similar recovery times." Sarah leans into Maria as she picks her up and Nick brings over the chair. Maria sets her down and Sarah smiles softly. Fury knows that Sarah is more comfortable with a woman because at the moment the only men she likes are the Avengers and soon to be an old friend of theirs as well.

Fury wheels her down to the private elevator that goes up to the secured top floor of the hospital. You need a special key and everything to get in. The ride up is short and the bright and vibrant area has been dimly lit for the nighttime moving of little Miss Rogers. The view out the bay windows at the end of the hall is amazing. Maria knocks on the door at the end of the hall.

"Come." Maria holds the door open and Fury wheels Sarah into the room. Sarah's eyes grow wide at the sight of the man hooked up to many tubes; all of them helping him stay alive in one form or another. "So, this is my new roommate, Boss?"

"Yes, she's been picked out as the team's favorite. Even Tony likes her. She's got about as long of a recovery as you do, Phil," Fury chuckles.

"Well, Boss, you're the one that froze me until they could save me," Phil counters. "What's your name?" Sarah wheels herself over to Phil and takes off her tags. She shows them to him and Phil smiles softly. "Rogers, Sarah N. Let me guess, Rogers and Natasha picked her out as their favorites first?" Phil guesses.

"And vice versa," Fury answers. "Her full name is Sarah Natasha Rogers. Sarah, meet Agent Phil Coulson, the Avengers' handler and friend. He'll be looking out for you while you're here. Now, you be good and behave for Phil." Sarah nods and the two leave the room leaving the roommates alone. Phil hands Sarah back her dog tags before sitting up straighter in bed.

"Want to play a card game?" Phil asks. Sarah looks at the deck on the table next to him.

"Me know not many. What game?" she counters. Phil can see he's going to have to teach her proper speech.

"Do you know cribbage?" She nods and Phil smiles. "How about that then?"

"Yes. Nice meet you, Mister Coulson."

"Call me Phil. Come on, bring that table over here. Do you think you can climb up on my bed?" Sarah nods as she wheels around to the table and pushes it next to his bed. He repositions it as Sarah comes around and locks the brakes on the wheelchair. She stands up a little wobbly but manages to climb into the bed. She smiles at Phil as he shuffles the card and motions for her to cut the deck. She can tell this is the start of a growing friendship._**  
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_**I hope you liked this chapter. I probably won't update for most of this week, maybe. I do have the next few chapters done but I'd like a buffer period, you know? Tell me what you think. **_

_**READ AND REVIEW PLEASE!**_


	3. Six Months In A Flash

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE AVENGERS OR HALF THE CHARACTERS IN THIS STORY. MARVEL DOES. I own Sarah Natasha Rogers and a few minor characters, that's it. **

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"Sarah, time to wake up," Phil calls from his wheelchair as he comes out of the bathroom. Sarah doesn't stir in her bed next to the window but stays blissfully asleep. "Sarah, breakfast time." An explosion rocks the building and Sarah snaps away. She grabs the gun from her nightstand and bolts into the standing position. It has been a month since Sarah's arrival at the facility and she had quickly mended. Alarms went off in the building.

"Escaped prisoner, level 3. Lock down all wards."

"Too late," a voice laughs down the hall. Sarah rushes to the door even though Phil tries to stop her. The teenager looks out the door to see a man in a prisoner's uniform holding a nurse at gunpoint. "All the pain meds! Now!" Sarah quickly removes her shoes and walks down the hall in her socks. The pistol in her hand is already cocked when she presses it to the back of his neck.

"Leave her alone," she growls. "Mary, go." The nurse runs off and the prisoner looks at Sarah over his shoulder. He knocks the gun from her hand and goes to kill her with his. Sarah quickly grabs the barrel of his gun and shoves back on his hand forcing him to let go. She deposits the gun on the counter as she wraps her legs around his neck and forces him to fall to the ground. Sarah moves quickly to flip him over and pin him to the ground. He tries to throw her off but she grabs her discarded pistol and presses it to the base of his skull.

"Stay still." Security arrives and Sarah gladly hands him over. She returns to her room to find Phil watching from the doorway.

"Sarah, would you like to spar with the SHIELD agents?" Phil asks.

"That'd be nice," she answers. Phil has been working on her language skills and is quite proud to say they've improved substantially, she is now to the point she can talk like a normal human being.

"I'll talk to the base commander." Sarah nods and goes back into the room. Sarah dresses after a quick shower and curls up on the windowsill to watch the desert. She leaves the pistol on the dresser. Phil returns a while later with the head of the base.

"Miss Rogers, Agent Coulson informed me you wish to train with some of the agents. If you'll follow me, we can get you set up for training right now. There is an instructor here that will train you in twenty minutes since she no longer has an assigned student." Agent Marsden smiles softly as Sarah gets up off her bed. "You can bring the gun. You'll do some of that training as well." Sarah's grin spreads wider as she grabs the gun from the bed. She quickly follows Marsden while pushing Phil's wheelchair. They ride down to the underground training area. They walk to a training area and Sarah spies the woman standing at one of the stations for firearms practice. The woman has long black hair and big brown eyes.

"Agent Volkov," Marsden says as they approach her. The woman turns around and nods to Marsden. "I have brought you someone to train. She's a special case." Agent Volkov looks over Phil to see Sarah there. Sarah has gained some weight so she looks a bit more normal but she still has ten to twenty more pounds to put on before the doctors will be completely happy.

"So this is the little one I have heard about," Volkov says in a thick Russian sounding accent. The accent wasn't quite Russian but Sarah couldn't place where she had heard that accent before. When she was in the compound, she had heard many different accents and she had heard this one before. "I do not train children." Kazakhstan. That's where she had heard it before! There had been a Kazakhstan woman there one time.

"This isn't training, this is sparring. She'll lose her talents if she doesn't use them and she can't do it unsupervised either," Marsden says. "Come on Volkov, its a few hours you don't have to put up with the new recruits for a few extra hours a week." Volkov walks over and examines Sarah.

"She has no muscle."

"She's gaining them."

"I give her test. If she pass, I train with her. If she fail, you take me off new recruitment list for two months," Volkov says.

"Deal." Volkov motions for Sarah to follow her, so Sarah leaves Phil side and joins Volkov at the shooting station. She points downrange at the rifle target down there. She then motions to the high-powered rifle sitting on the shooting platform.

"Five shots. Head shot, arteries in the shoulders, and the heart shot. Shoot when you're ready," Volkov says handing Sarah a clip. Sarah pulls the earplugs off the station and shoves them in before sitting down. She pops the clip in and looks through the sight at the target. The first shot causes Sarah to readjust her sitting position from the recoil. The second shot is the same. After the third shot, she's used to the recoil and shoots the last two rounds into the heart of the target. She puts the safety on as Volkov presses the button causing the target to come up the range. She points down the line of shooting lanes.

"Pistol range. Same deal," she orders. Sarah walks down and draws her pistol from where she had it stashed in the band of her pants. She aims and fires quickly. She taps the button and the target comes up the way. Volkov points down the range and Sarah walks down to find knives there.

"Do you know how to throw?" Volkov asks. Sarah glances at her before picking the five knives up and hurling them at the target. Sarah removes her ear protection and looks at Volkov.

"What's next?"

"A sparring match, body only." Sarah nods and hands her pistol to Phil. She walks over to the mat and removes her boots as Volkov does. Phil and Marsden are looking at the targets as the two women size each other up. Volkov attacks first aiming a punch to the face. Sarah deflects her arm and twists it causing Volkov to spin. Sarah releases after punching the instructor in the back. Sarah backs off a few steps and Volkov charges again. She goes to kick Sarah but Sarah brings up her leg and deflects the blow. She grabs Volkov's ankle and pulls her in close before hitting her other leg with her own causing her opponent to fall toward the mat. She releases Volkov's legs and jumps over to the edge of the mat. She waits patiently for her instructor to get back up. Volkov smiles as she gets back to her feet and charges at the arrogant Sarah.

"I've never seen moves for one so young," Marsden comments to Phil.

"I have seen similar moves, but neither of them are as young as her," Phil mutters and Marsden raises an eyebrow at him. "Captain America and the Black Widow, both enhanced by super soldier serums. They battle very similarly. Note how, even though Sarah is underweight and still in recovery, she is able to battle with ease, all pain pushed to the side."

"What does that mean exactly?" Marsden asks.

"That means," Nick Fury says walking up behind the two, "that we have a kid super soldier on our hands." The two look at him and then back at the fight. Volkov finally gets Sarah in a pinned move to the ground, but it's somewhat obvious she threw the fight.

"You ever throw a fight again, and I will kill you," Volkov snarls in her ear.

"Yes ma'am. Does that mean you'll train with me?" Sarah asks with hope in her voice.

"Yes." Sarah smiles broadly and Volkov gets up. She extends a hand to Sarah and pulls the blond up off the ground.

"Miss Rogers, I need you for the rest of the day," Director Fury says. Sarah looks at Nick with a little sadness in her eyes. "You can start training tomorrow." Sarah smiles brightly.

"Agent Volkov, when should I be down here in the morning?" Sarah asks.

"Six o'clock. Then you can shower and eat. And Sarah, call me Aiman," Volkov says. Sarah nods and smiles hurrying to Fury's side.

"Hello Mr. Fury," Sarah says.

"Call me Nick. Come on, me and you are going on a field trip today. Then when we get back, I have some questions for you; you think you're up for that?" Nick asks.

"Sure. Where we going?"

"I thought I'd take you out for lunch." Sarah smiles before waving at Phil and leaving with the Director. Fury drives her to the nearest diner and they sit down for food. Sarah eats the hamburger with gusto, the food at SHIELD may be good, but this is better. Nick smiles as she drinks the chocolate milkshake he had ordered her. The kid sure is a little handful.

"So what have you been up to lately?" Nick asks.

"Well, me and Phil play games all the time! We're pretty evenly matched. And then he always helps me with my homework from the tutors. They say that within six months or so I'll be at the level I should be. Phil taught me better penmanship and how to speak better too! I still have a lot to learn. Then this morning, I took out the escaped prisoner that made it to our level. Still trying to figure that one out. And one of the nurses, she got me a sketchbook and pencils! They say I'm really good but I think they're fibbing," Sarah giggles. "What about you, Nick?"

"Well, I've been keeping the peace as usual. The Avengers say hi," Nick says.

"Are they okay? Don't tell me Steve or Natasha got in trouble. All Phil has to say about them is praises," Sarah tells him.

"They're fine. Steve and Natasha have been wondering about you too. You want me to tell them you said hi?" Nick asks.

"I got a picture at the base; can you give it to them?" Sarah asks.

"Sure, just don't let me forget. I got you a present," Nick says. Nick hands her a small box and she opens it up. She pulls out the silver chain holding a smaller version of Steve's shield.

"It's so pretty! Thanks Nick!" He smiles as she puts the necklace on and finishes her shake.

"Ready to go back to the base and answer some questions?" Nick asks.

"I'm ready." They walk back out to the SUV and drive back to base. Nick takes her to an area of the base he calls his office when he's here. He sits down at the coffee table and motions for Sarah to join him on the couch. She does and he pulls out a couple of files.

"I want you to identify the people in these pictures if you can," Nick explains. He lays down six photographs. Sarah stiffens a moment before taking the first picture in her hand. It's of a woman about forty years old.

"This is the Keeper. She was responsible for feeding the prisoners and tending to the children. She's a sadistic woman. I heard her first name once, Marsha." Nick writes down what Sarah's saying on a pad of paper and marks the photo. Sarah grabs the next photograph. "This man here, the bald one, he's Jack, the Executioner. They used him for all the executions they didn't want to force me to do. He killed the closest thing I had to a mother too. His last name is Irish, like O'Malley or O'Donnell or something like that. The man standing next to him that is Marcos Cross the Torturer. His job is sort of obvious. Some of my beatings were at his hand." Sarah hands him the photograph.

"It's been a month and you still remember them," Nick murmurs.

"Hard not to, they raised me," Sarah states. She grabs the next photograph. "Dr. Michael Alexander Roche, he's a genetics expert. He's the one that created me from a vial of blood. Apparently I'm his greatest break through."

"Created you?" Nick asks.

"Yes. I'm a clone or something like that. I'm still trying to figure out how they cloned a guy but got a girl. I suppose they changed a part of my DNA or something. Anyway, he's French but you will probably find him in Argentina. He never shut up about the señorita he was seeing down there." Sarah hands him the picture and moves on to the next one.

"Who is that?" Nick asks cautiously.

"Amara Bosch, the doc. She's the one that would patch up prisoners or workers when they were hurt. However, she wouldn't hurt a fly. She killed one patient and tried to kill herself," Sarah mutters.

"If you were a prisoner how do you know all of this?" Nick inquires.

"Wasn't exactly a prisoner. I was just a dangerous person that lived in the compound. Locked me up so I wouldn't kill anyone. That's their fault, they trained me," Sarah mutters. She grabs the last photograph. She doesn't want to talk about the two people in the photograph.

"Who are they?"

"These are the people that forced the children to call them Mom and Dad," Sarah mutters. "Martin Nelson, the boss. He's highly dangerous. Don't underestimate him, ever. The woman is his wife Alexandra Barlow. She's a master at seduction, torture, and lying."

"Children, there were more?" Nick continues his questions.

"Many more from different projects. I'm the only one alive though, the only one that survived. My brothers, they were all too violent and they had to be put down. The other projects, they were shut down, and with them the kids. I was the only one that survived, well to my knowledge." Sarah looks up at Nick. "Please tell me you're going to get these people."

"With this new information, I think we're one step closer. Now, are you okay with telling me about your stay there? Any information you might know about. Maybe whom they were cloning. We have their computer files but they need key code." Sarah grabs a piece of paper and writes down a line of letters followed by another line. She hands it to Nick.

"Each symbol corresponds with a number or letter," Sarah says pointing between the two rows. "I had to learn the code for reports and things. There should a file marked 'Mark C' it'll have the program that will translate all the code into actual workable files."

"How do you know all about the tech?" Nick inquires.

"We've moved between stations before and I had to unlock some of the computers," Sarah mutters. Sarah then goes on to tell Fury about all the torture and training she'd gone through, and the torture the other prisoners had gone through. Nick nearly has to walk away from the news.

"Do you know who you were cloned from?" Nick asks. Sarah nods. "Who?" Nick was almost completely sure he knew who she was a clone of. The similarities are uncanny.

"Captain America," Sarah says. "Are you going to tell Steve?"

"That's up to you. Do you want me to?"

"Later." Nick nods and roughs up her hair.

"Now, you should go back to your room." Sarah nods and heads for the door.

"I got that picture upstairs." Nick follows and Sarah hands him the picture. Nick smiles softly. There were two pictures. One was Natasha and Steve cuddling with her in the midst of the rubble of the cell. The second one had Natasha wrapping an arm around Steve as Steve holds Sarah in his arms. The sketches are really good. She must have gotten those talents from Steve.

"I'll get this to them," Nick promises her. "Sarah, if we found you a position in taking down the people that had you, would you like it?" Sarah nods.

"Yes sir." Nick nods and walks out. Phil and Sarah play five rounds of cribbage that night. The next morning, after training with Aiman, Phil leads Sarah out to the parking garage. One of the military liaisons and a regular agent are present when they get down there.

"Ah, Agent Coulson," the agent says with a smile.

"Hello boys. Sarah, this is Sgt. Major Alex Mathews and Agent Robert Parks," Phil says. "The boys are going to take you out in a few of the vehicles of the next few weeks. The Director thinks it would be a good idea if you have experience behind the wheel of some of these," Phil explains. Sarah smiles broadly and Phil salutes the two men before wheeling away.

"Let's start with the government issues SUV," Robert says. "Then we can work ourselves to some of the other toys, shall we?" Sarah nods and Mathews gives Sarah the run down on how to drive a vehicle as Robert goes to get said vehicle. Sarah jumps in the driver's seat and Mathews takes the seat next to her with Robert in the back. Sarah starts the SUV and puts her seatbelt on. She adjusts everything for her size and puts her hand on the gearshift. She eases the SUV into drive before releasing the brake slowly and touching the gas. Mathews coaches her out of the garage and through the base's large parking lot. They jump onto the deserted old road that leads to the base and they speed up a bit.

"That's really good," Mathews chuckles. "Now, let's do a few fun things, shall we? Ease off the road and go out a little bit. Then I want you to do a doughnut." Robert explains what a doughnut is and smiles as Sarah does them. Then she ramps up the speed and hits the little incline that goes onto the road. They fly across the road and she easily maintains control of the vehicle when they land.

"Nicely done," Mathews chuckles. "Back onto the road now." Sarah does and parks while Robert uses the bathroom. Once he's back in, Mathews teaches her to do a burn out. Sarah, now a speed demon, speeds back to base and does the perfect parallel parking job by drifting in at a high speed to the spot.

"Have you driven before?" Robert asks.

"Nothing like this. A little car with about as much power as a lawnmower." The two men laugh at the comparison. Sarah spots something that catches her eye and she stares. The two men follow her sight and smirk.

"The motorcycle?" Robert asks Sarah. She nods and approaches it. She strokes the paint job and the leather saddlebags. She sits down on it and feels at home there. Robert hands her a helmet. He's already wearing one. "We got some time, let's teach you." Sarah's smile couldn't have gotten any bigger. He goes through the basics before they get on, how to shift, how to balance yourself, and why you don't hit the red button. Sarah settles down on the motorcycle and Robert climbs on the back. He's nervous to ride with her but he knows she'd wreck the bike if he didn't. Sarah starts up the motorcycle and cruises out of the hanger with Mathews watching from the hanger door.

"All right, time to shift," Robert tells her. Sarah does and Robert smiles as they speed up. He instructs her to down shift so she knows how it feels. After a couple of times doing that, Sarah goes toward the road and gets a good amount of speed behind her. She smiles as she rides with Robert giving advice when she needs it. She parks back in the hanger after a half an hour joyride. Phil is there waiting with Mathews when they arrive.

"Well, how was the ride?" Mathews asks.

"She's a natural," Robert answers.

"She gets it from her father," Phil states to which Sarah looks up at him sharply. "Come on kiddo dinner time." Sarah hadn't even realized they had been driving that long. She pushes Phil to the elevator and they go to the chow hall. The pair eat, Phil asking questions about her day. Sarah gladly tells him and Phil smiles at the story. After dinner is done, they go back to their room and settle on Phil's bed for a game of Sorry! before bedtime.

"Phil," Sarah says looking up at him after moving her piece forward five places, "how do you know who my dad is?"

"Well, I had this sneaking suspicious when you first got here. The blond hair, blue eyes, body that heals fast, and overall your abilities and kind personality. Then when Director Fury came here yesterday, I asked him if you were related to Steve. He said that you were his daughter," Phil says. Sarah goes to correct him as Phil changes his piece's spot with one of her own pieces. "I told him there's no way that Steve had a kid. However, I know for a fact that a vial of his blood was stolen shortly after he became a super soldier. So I know that you are a female clone of Steve."

"You're really smart Phil."

"Comes with the job kiddo. Now, are you going to draw a card or do I have to draw one for you?" Phil asks. Sarah smirks and draws the card. Phil silently swears as the kid pulls the Sorry! card out of the deck. The next Monday greets Sarah with the opportunity to learn how to use the quinjets. Normally this was against policy in any form but they made an exception. They spent a week learning the plane inside and out for her and she absorbs the information quickly.

"All right kiddo, this is my territory now," Mathews chuckles as he hands her the flat helmet. They were already in uniforms and ready to go. It's the next Monday and she's ready to try her knowledge. She takes her spot as does Mathews. He coaxes her through take off and smiles as she does so nicely.

"So why am I here again?" Robert asks as he holds a barf bag in his hand.

"She needs two instructors at all times," Mathews answers.

"Couldn't we have asked Morse to ride?" Robert complains.

"No. Fury doesn't want Morse corrupting Sarah," Mathews laughs.

"I resent that," Sarah mutters as she jerks the controls causing them to do a roll. She straightens the plane just in time to hear Robert puking. "Sorry Robert!"

"No you're not."

"Kid, let's not do that again, okay?" Mathews chuckles.

"I make you sick?" Sarah inquires.

"I don't need Coulson on my ass about dangerous maneuvers." Sarah rolls her eyes as she goes to land. She lands softly, much to the pleasure of Robert and the surprise of anyone on the base.

"Nicely done Sarah," Phil says as they walk down the ramp. Robert collapses to the ground and kisses it before puking a little more. "What's his issue?"

"He doesn't like flying," Mathews supplies. "So, a couple more days of the jet. Then we can move on to some other flying vehicles. Ones that Parks won't have to be on."

"I thank you," Robert mutters sitting up and moving away from the puke.

"Sorry again," Sarah mutters rubbing the back of her head.

"You're not sorry."

"Come on Sarah. We got take out upstairs waiting for us. Oh, and a present from the Director." Sarah smiles as she pushes Phil back to the room. Next week he'd be out of the wheelchair, the doctor didn't want him walking around with his heart and the nick in his spine still healing. They get to their room where they have Chinese from the nearby town along with the best milkshake that Sarah had ever had from another place in town. Their meal is followed by a plate of chocolate and butterscotch chip cookies.

"These cookies are really good!" Sarah giggles as she eats.

"Agent Larson downstairs made them," Coulson says. "The one that made an offer to let you use some of the weapons downstairs. The dirty blond."

"OH! She makes really good cookies! I'll have to thank her," Sarah says with a smile on her face as she eats her third cookie.

"And you have a present, remember?" Phil points at her bed and Sarah looks at the dark blue package. She grabs the package and brings it over to Phil's bed to look at it. She pulls the top off and stares. "What is it?" Sarah stands up and pulls out the suit inside. It consists of black cargo pants, a black weapons vest with some Kevlar in it, and a ¾-sleeve shirt to go under it. She pulls the boots out and smiles at them. Under all the clothes lays a set of knives and a set of pistols complete with sheathes.

"The director is spoiling you," Phil comments.

"Let him. These are so nice! Can I start training in them Phil? Like after I'm done learning all the vehicles?" Sarah asks.

"Sure. Go try it on." Sarah squeals in excitement as she runs for the bathroom with her gift. She quickly dresses in it and smiles coming back out.

"It's a little big."

"You still have muscle and weight to put on," Phil points out. "You want to watch a movie?" Sarah nods. "Well, change into your bed clothes then!" Sarah grins as she grabs her clothes from her dresser and changes. When she comes back out, the windows are blacked out by the metal on the outside. The projector above Phil's bed kicks on illuminating the window above Sarah's bed. Sarah runs to the kitchen as Phil picks out the movie. Sarah grabs soda, popcorn, and candy before running back up the stairs and into the room. She closes the door and jumps onto Phil's bed just as the older man moves over. Phil puts the table over his bed and Sarah lays out all the food in front of them. Phil smirks as he grabs his drink and sips on it.

"So, what are we watching?" Sarah asks.

"Well, I thought we could watch Push," Phil says.

"What's it about?"

"Well the description says, 'Two young Americans with special abilities must race to find a girl in Hong Kong before a shadowy government organization called Division does.' So it has people with special powers," Phil tells her.

"It sounds good." She snuggles into Phil's side as the movie starts up. She falls asleep halfway through the movie, her head on Phil's shoulder hugging him with one arm like he's a giant teddy bear. They had watched movies together before and she normally ends up like this. He smiles as she buries her face in his shirt. He pushes the table away and wraps her up in the blanket.

"Leave me alone. No. Don't hurt her! Please! I'll do anything don't hurt her!" Sarah cries in her sleep. Phil hugs her and rubs her back. He whispers comforting words in her ear as she dreams of her captivity. This isn't the first time the nightmares have visited either. He knows just being there helps her. Phil distantly thinks about the man she'd call Dad one day if he had anything to say about it. Steve is an orphan; he'll understand that part of her. Her abilities match his, so he's the only one that can truly understand what it's like to be her. Steve also hates bullies, so he'll protect Sarah from them. Phil knows that they'll be good together. And with Natasha as a mother figure, well Sarah's going to be just fine with Natasha helping her. He smiles down at the teenager lying next to him. He'd cherish the moments of taking care of her as long as he could.

"Be careful," Robert says to Sarah as she jumps into the helicopter a week and a half later. "Don't wreck yourself, okay?"

"I know Robert. See you later," Sarah chuckles. Robert nods and moves back to let Phil up to Sarah.

"Take it easy on the speed, okay?" Phil says setting a hand on Sarah's shoulder.

"I know Phil." He nods and backs off with Robert. They watch as Sarah and Mathews perform the pre-takeoff procedures and start up the helicopter. Sarah eases the bird into the air and nervously pilots it like Mathews instructs her. Out of all of the machines she was been told she will learn, the helicopter scares her the most. With the slightest chip of a blade, the whole thing could come tumbling down to the earth.

"You're doing fine," Mathews says. "Let's head back to the base, okay? Looks like some nasty weather coming." Sarah had just turned the helicopter around when the lightning cracked overhead. "Land it now." Sarah starts to go down to land the helicopter. Mathews was going to take over to get them home. Within 50 feet of the ground, lightning strikes the helicopter causing it to spin out of control. Sarah has her belts off in seconds and leaps over Mathews to punch out his door. She rips off his belts and dives from the helicopter with him in her arms. The larger grown man is shocked as the child hugs him close as they fall. They land hard, Mathews hearing an audible crunch from under him. He rolls off Sarah in time to see the explosion from the helicopter.

"Good call kid. Now don't be dead," Mathews mutters. Sarah had broken his fall, surprisingly, so he wasn't harmed. The kid on the other hand. He removes her flight vest and gently touches her torso only to feel broken ribs. He swears as the lightning picks up around them. He covers her with his body as the lightning dances around them. He can hear the far off rumble of the hummers coming toward them. Sarah starts to stir and the first thing she does is start moaning in pain.

"Sarah," Mathews says and Sarah looks in his face, "hey kiddo. Focus on me, not on the pain."

"Hurts," she breathes.

"I know kiddo. Helps on the way."

"You okay?"

"All thanks to you kiddo. Why'd you do that?" Mathews asks as he puts her vest under her head to elevate her head a little.

"Smelled gas leak," Sarah mutters. "Boom. Didn't want to die, didn't want you to die." Mathews brushes her hair back and sees the blood on the back of her head from impact. "Glad you're not hurt." Mathews nods and looks up to see the rescue vehicles nearing. The rain starts around them and Mathews shields Sarah from the rain as much as he can. The hummers roll up with the medical hummer in front.

"What we got?" the medic there asks.

"Some broken ribs, I don't know what else. Be careful with her," Mathews says as they bring the stretcher over.

"Are you injured?"

"No, she saved me."

"All right miss, we're going to move you onto the stretcher now." The medics go to lift her and Sarah cries out in pain as her ribs are moves and a throbbing pain from her leg appears. She strains in their arms but Mathews puts his hand on her cheek.

"Sarah, you need to calm down."

"Pain," she cries.

"I know, but they're going to fix you up, okay?"

"Ride with me." It wasn't a request. Mathews nods and joins her in the back of the hummer with the medics.

"What happened?!" Phil demands when they arrive at the base.

"We were landing because of the storm. Lightning hit the helicopter and we were going to crash. Sarah, I don't know how she moved so fast. She had my door punched open and ripped me from my seat. She jumped off the helicopter holding me above her. She took the impact. I'm so sorry Phil," Mathews stammers.

"Just pray she's not hurt bad enough that her dad gets involved," Phil mutters. Mathews nods and watches as they wheel away the now unconscious 15 year old. Robert insists that Mathews gets checked out but he's cleared almost instantly. In the end, it turns out she only has three broken ribs, fractured wrist, and a sprain ankle. How she survived impact is a mystery to those who don't know about her little gift.

"Hey kiddo," Phil says as Sarah opens her eyes the next morning. She groans and lifts the braced hand to her face. She rubs her eyes tiredly.

"What happened?"

"Lightning hit your helicopter and you went down. However, you saved Mathews. You have a sprained ankle, three broken ribs, and a fractured wrist. But you'll be fine in three weeks with your track record," Phil says. "Mathews and Robert would like to see you."

"I'd like that." Phil walks to the door and the pair comes in.

"Looks like we won't be flying for a bit," Mathews chuckles sitting down next to the kid.

"Can we skip the helicopters?" Sarah asks. "I don't think I can go in one for a year or two." Mathews nods.

"Yeah, we'll skip the helicopters. How about sky cycles when you get better? It's a motorcycle but it flies," Mathews chuckles.

"Sounds like a plan."

"You get better kiddo." Sarah nods and Mathews walks away.

"That was a brave stunt you pulled out there," Robert comments. "Don't make a habit of it kid."

"Not planning on it." Robert pats her shoulder and walks away. Aiman comes in with a book for her to read and Agent Larson comes in with a plate of freshly made cookies.

"Enjoy Sarah," Larson chuckles.

"Thanks." They leave and it's only Phil left in the room with her. He drags a chair over and sits down next to her.

"So, what are we going to do for the next three weeks?" Phil inquires.

"Movie marathon?" Sarah suggests. Phil nods and moves the chair. He releases the brakes on her bed and pushes her bed next to his. He locks the brakes down and turns on the projector. Sarah smiles as Phil hands her a teddy bear with a replica of Steve's shield clutched in its furry arms. She clutches it in one arm as Phil sets up the movie and they settle in for a movie marathon.

"Phil, am I going to live with my dad?" Sarah asks looking at Phil.

"I'll make sure of it." Sarah smiles and takes Phil's hand.

"You're a good uncle, Uncle Phil." Phil smiles as he pushes play on the movie. Sarah watches the movie intently with Phil, wincing when the bad guy crashes through a wall.

Over the next three weeks, tutors come in and teach Sarah when she's not watching a movie. They soon learn that she already knows a few foreign languages, better than she knew English actually. Phil helps her with homework every night. Once the three weeks are up, she's back to having the base as her playground. Aiman goes easy on her for training for about a week but they're quickly at their old pace in no time. Mathews and Robert take Sarah out to learn how to fly the hover cars, including the Hover-Hummer. As promised, Mathews takes her out of the sky cycle, which quickly becomes her favorite toy and she makes Phil promise to ask Fury to give her one for her 16th or 18th birthday. Agent Rae Larson, the cookie lady, trains her with all the guns, cherishing every moment she gets with the kid. This is all included in the kid's schedule of tutors that teach her new languages and get her up to her level of schooling.

"Sarah," Phil says knocking on the kid's work door. A small little room had been converted into a room for Sarah to study her lessons or the drawings of all her favorite toys. The blond teenager looks up at Phil. "Fury wants to see you." Sarah gets up and follows Phil to Fury's office. He's sitting there with three men. The one looks rugged like a lumberjack. He has a large unlit cigar in his mouth. The next man is younger with long brown hair and blue eyes. He appears to be about 20 but if Sarah had to guess, she'd guess he was older than that. The last man looks like a younger version of Nick.

"Ah, here you are," Nick chuckles standing up. "Gentlemen, meet Sarah Rogers, she's going to likely be member of your team."

"She's a kid!" the twenty year old looking one protests.

"Yeah, well, technically so were you, James, when you served in WWII."

"What's going on, Nick?" Sarah asks.

"Sarah, I want you to meet my son, Nick Fury Jr., Agent James Barnes, and Wolverine also called Logan. These men are going after the people that had you." Sarah cracks her knuckles.

"How can I help?" Sarah asks.

"Sir, you can't honestly expect us to take a kid on this mission!" Junior says. Phil rolls his eyes and puts his hand to his face as Sarah's demeanor changes. She launches at Junior and wraps her arms around his neck toppling him over. She flips him onto his stomach and pins his arms under her body.

"Care to repeat that?" Sarah snarls.

"Rogers, calm your jets," Fury growls.

"Yes sir." Sarah flips over backwards and lands next to Phil.

"What type of kid is she?" Wolverine demands.

"The type with super soldier serum in her," Fury answers. "Tell them your parentage, Sarah." Sarah rolls her eyes.

"I am Sarah Natasha Rogers, the female clone of Steve Rogers," Sarah says.

"If we're bringing clone kids, can I bring mine?" Logan jokes.

"I'd welcome it," Fury says. A teenager walks in and it's obvious she's Logan's. "Hello Laura."

"I'm glad you asked nicely. So, this is Rogers, smells like him that's for sure. I'll work with her," Laura, also known as X-23, says looking Sarah over.

"You have one month, team, to get Sarah ready for this mission. In one month, the targets will be vulnerable. Sarah, until further notice, all your other studies are suspended," Fury orders.

"That's fine; I only had the fun ones left. So, Laura was it? You want to go spar?" Sarah asks looking at Laura.

"Gladly." The pair walk out of the room and the men look at each other.

"I think it was a bad idea to introduce those two to each other," James mutters.

"Why is that?" Phil asks.

"Well, Logan and Cap were friends, now you got the clone daughters of them walking around as friends. That could be extremely dangerous for anyone that crosses them," James explains. A crash comes from down the hall and Phil groans. "Told you."

"One month gentlemen. There's a course set up in the warehouse, it's a replica of the building you're infiltrating. Learn it inside and out. Take the girls with you," Fury orders. "Phil, monitor their progress." Phil nods and the four men leave to go get the girls before they kill anyone.

"Sarah," Phil says sternly as she keeps a young male agent in a headlock while Laura is halfway to kicking him in the privates.

"One second Uncle," Sarah says as Laura kicks the man hard. Sarah drops him and smiles.

"Never do that again!" Laura shouts. Logan grabs Laura by the back of her collar and drags his daughter through the hallways. James grabs Sarah by the back of her vest and pulls her along. The blond is wearing the gear Fury had given her. Phil had made more uniforms so she can wear them on a daily basis.

"LET GO!" Sarah shouts at James who keeps her firmly in his grasps. Sarah slips her feet around James' legs and twists hard taking him to the ground. She pins him there. "Never drag me like that again, got it?!" Sarah snarls with anger seething from her voice. Phil touches Sarah's shoulder lightly.

"Sarah, come on," Phil says softly.

"I don't like it!" Sarah tells Phil. "It reminds me of that place! They dragged me! I don't like it Phil." Sarah slumps on top of James and the soldier glances hesitantly at Phil before wrapping his arms around the teenager.

"What's her deal?" Logan asks.

"She spent 15 years in the captivity of the guys you're going after," Phil explains. "They created her and raised her. She's gotten over most of the trauma but sometimes it comes back. Like being dragged through a hallway." Phil kneels next to Sarah and sets his hand back on her shoulder. "Sarah, you have to be strong if you want to help take these people out. They didn't know." Sarah nods and stands up. She offers James a hand and he takes it. She easily pulls him up and they continue walking. When they arrive at the warehouse, Phil watches from an observation room as the team learns the area. Laura then challenges Sarah to a duel to learn how to fight in the corridors. It's the first time in a while that Laura and Sarah have been equally matched and having fun fighting.

"See you after breakfast," James says to Phil and Sarah as they get ready to leave the warehouse.

"Movie?" Sarah asks Phil with large puppy dog eyes.

"Yes. Go on." Sarah cheers and laughs as she runs back to the base to get the popcorn and drinks ready. She pauses though about ten feet away.

"Laura, you want to watch a movie with us?" Sarah asks. "Or any of you boys?" Laura looks at Logan who sighs before nodding.

"We'll meet you up there," James says.

"All right, pops, beers, and food!" Sarah shouts.

"Beer?" Phil questions.

"For you guys!" she answers as her and Laura run back to base. Phil mutters something and rubs his tired face with his hand.

"You look a little tired there, Coulson," James remarks.

"That kid is going to be the death of me," Phil says. "But I love her anyway."

"How'd you get stuck on babysitter duty?" Junior inquires.

"The Avengers brought her in here injured and scared. Since I'm dedicated to helping the Avengers, the job came to me. I've been healing here for a number of months and when she came along, they put her in my room. Fury gave me the order to raise her and I have been. Hopefully up to Cap's expectations and approval," Phil says.

"Where is Cap? If he has her, why isn't he with her?" James asks.

"He doesn't know she's his clone. We're waiting until we release her to tell him. Steve already wants custody and Tony's fine with her moving into the Tower. We're just waiting. Our plans got a little set back by the fact that the kid had a helicopter accident. Saved her instructor though," Phil continues as they walk back to the building.

"How old is she?" Junior asks.

"She has the same birthday as Cap. She'll be 16 in five weeks," Phil tells them. They go up to the room where the girls have chairs sitting with the beds and extra tables. There are buckets of popcorn all over with candy, cookies, and drinks scattered between them. The girls are sharing Sarah's bed and the teddy bear is on Sarah's lap. A bowl of popcorn sits tightly between the two teen's legs and they have their drinks in hand.

"Took you guys long enough!" Laura complains.

"Come on! We already got a movie picked out too!" Sarah laughs. The men sit down and watch as Van Helsing appears on the blacked out windows.

"Hey Logan, that guy looks like you!" James laughs. Logan tosses popcorn at James' head causing the girls to laugh. James tosses some SweetTarts over his shoulder at the girls and they easily grab them and pop them in their mouths.

"So, Logan, if we make that same crack, are you going to toss food at us?" Sarah asks.

"No, you'd enjoy it too much." So, in retaliation, the girls pelt the back of his head with popcorn.

"Bucky, you were right," Logan mutters under his breath.

"I told you so."

"Wait that is THE Bucky? Like Cap's Bucky?" Sarah demands.

"Yeah," James says from his seat. Sarah launches herself forward and hugs the man. "What's up kid?"

"You are a really nice guy, you know that? Oh, yeah, thank you for making sure Steve stayed alive. I've heard all the stories from Phil," Sarah says.

"No problem kiddo. Now, can you remove the arms, a little too clingy." She smiles, kisses his cheek, and takes her seat back. The two girls end up falling asleep next to each other. The boys split up and in the morning, they're training by eight o'clock.

"I hate this plan," Sarah mutters as they look at the building. One month of training for this.

"Yeah, well, you two can get in a hell of a lot easier than us," James counters. Sarah rolls her eyes and joins Laura in sliding down the muddy hill in a skintight suit. The plan was to get into the building, disable the alarms, and signal the boys to come in. Laura slices the wire and the girls slip through into the compound. The month of training is about to be tested. They quickly run into the building, the pair using the air ducts to get around.

"All right, we're inside the control room," Sarah says into her microphone as Laura pops out the grate and the two climb into the room.

"Tell us when the coast is clear," Logan says.

"Uh, Sarah," Laura says and Sarah turns around.

"Shit. Shit! SHIT!" Sarah shouts as she dodges a punch. Laura's claws come out but they're not fast enough, not against six super soldier clones of Steve. "You're all supposed to be dead!" she screams.

"We weren't, little sister," the one pinning her to the ground laughs. "We were relocated." Laura yelps as the three men holding her kick her hard.

"Laura! Leave her alone you bastards!"

"Crush the earpieces," Alexandra's voice chuckles from the doorway. "Look Martin, our long lost daughter is back again, and she brought a friend."

"You leave her alone!" Sarah shouts at them. The clone next to her kicks her hard in the head after removing the earpiece. He crushes both Sarah's and Laura's under the heel of his boot.

"Containment cells for both of them," Martin orders. "Make sure they can't get free." Sarah struggles with the clone holding her as she's stood up. Laura fights twice as hard. "Beat them into submission."

"No!" Sarah cries. She's had those beatings before. The two teenagers are hauled off to the secure dungeons. Laura's hands are bound in solid metal cuffs and gloves to keep her from using her hands to get free. They put a gag in her mouth before using her for a punching bag. Sarah catches a glimpse of it as they haul her through the dungeon. They string her up in a cell with special chains she can't break. Her ankles and wrists are bound.

"I'm going to kill all of you," Sarah growls. Clone 1 attacks her and delivers punch after punch. She grunts and yelps from a few of the hits. Another one comes from behind with a metal bat and starts to swing it at her. She screams as she feels a rib break before sliding back in place and healing. Another clone starts to punch her face. Soon she's bloody and sagging on the chains.

"You're getting soft," Clone 1 snarls. "You always were soft."

"And you were always an abusive ass!" Sarah counters. A chair slides into the room.

"Get her on the chair. We need to have a conversation," Martin says. The clones move her, binding her to the chair. Sarah smirks as they leave her alone with Martin.

"That wasn't very smart," Sarah chuckles.

"You can't get free," Martin says.

"So, what do you want?"

"My investment back. And I want to know, who you're working for."

"I'm working pro-bono. It'll be fun kicking your ass," Sarah laughs.

"I suppose this was all part of a plan," Martin says.

"Nope, but, I'll improvise," Sarah chuckles. Martin takes a knife and cuts her cheek. Sarah shrugs only to smile as the door silently opens to reveal a friend. Sarah causes the wooden legs on the chair to splinter and wraps her legs around Martin's legs to fall him. He falls and Sarah smashes her foot into his head.

"Took you long enough," Sarah mutters as Laura hurries over and slices the chains off.

"Hey, I had three of your evil brothers to take out after I broke free," Laura counters. She hands Sarah a pistol and they both head for the door. As they reach the door, Laura spins around and impales Martin who was sneaking up from behind. He falls and the girls lock his body in the cell.

"You going to be able to kill your brothers?" Laura asks.

"I'll be fine," Sarah insists. They break into the control room and open up the gates. They walk back out and find themselves confronted by the remaining three of Sarah's clones. Sarah points her pistol at them as Laura's claws come out. The three charge but are too slow. Sarah shoots the first two as Laura slices the last one's head off. Laura gives her a look.

"Hey, you got four, I got two," Sarah counters. Laura grumbles as they walk to a different section of the building. Sarah collects more weapons as they go. They free the new prisoners and hear the boys infiltrate the building. They're not as quiet as they take out the new scientists before locking up Amara Bosch, and accidently shooting Michael Roche.

"How long?" Laura asks. Sarah looks at her. "How long did they do those types of tortures to you before?"

"They started when I was old enough to start being an asset and continued until I was rescued," Sarah answers.

"I know the feeling," Laura mutters. Sarah shoots to their right as a guard pokes his head around a corner.

"Run if you don't want to die!" Sarah shouts.

"What about me?" Alexandra asks coming around the corner. Sarah smiles and loads a new clip.

"You made my life hell," Sarah snarls.

"You hurt me, daughter," Alexandra says.

"I'll never be your daughter," Sarah growls. She shoots Alexandra in the knee. "But I'd love to see your ass in jail." She walks forward but freezes when she sees what's in Alexandra's hand. She sprints backwards, grabs Laura, and sprints three corridors away by the time the explosion goes off. The pair runs as fast as they can, the explosions getting closer with each passing second. They grab the boys and Amara on their way through the building. Marsha, Jack, and Marcos are killed in the explosions. They break through the compound doors a second before the explosion does. Sarah and Laura, being the ones in the far back, fly forward from the blast and land hard on the ground.

"Jesus," Sarah mutters rolling over. "You good Laura?"

"Just dandy," Laura answers. "Let's not make a habit of this, okay?"

"I'm with you on that."

"You okay girls?" Logan asks as Junior holds Amara up as he calls it in.

"Can I just sleep?" Sarah asks him. James crouches and picks up the tired and bloody teenager.

"Sleep, you'll be back at base soon enough." Logan picks up Laura and the three men carry the girls to the jet before going back to base. Sarah stumbles sleepily back to her room and Phil's room after saying her goodbyes to her team after paperwork. She jumps in the shower and comes back out to see Phil holding a duffel bag.

"Pack up in the morning, we're moving out."

"All right. I'm going to go to bed now."

"You okay?" Phil asks.

"Yeah, just dandy. Got the snot beat out of me. Some of my hair burned so I had to cut it. Perfect day." She collapses on her bed, not even bothering with the sheet. Phil pulls one up over her shoulders and kisses her forehead.

"Sleep well, Sarah."

"Night, Uncle Phil." Phil smiles as she falls asleep quickly. It was 12:02 in the morning. Today was six months. Today he's little adopted niece is 16 years old.

* * *

_**So, yes I updated today because A) it's Labor Day and this is my way of celebrating it and B) I probably won't update until the weekend so I wanted to give you all something to munch on. I start school tomorrow and I am extremely nervous. I hope you liked this chapter. Oh, wanted to mention this, the James Barnes in this is the one from a cartoon because I liked him better than the one in the movie. But that's just me. And Sarah's ease with vehicles, I figured she would have gotten some training with them and Steve loves his motorcycle so maybe his clone would too. And please no heat about the clone thing. I thought it would be a good story line and it would bring out a side of Steve he hadn't seen. The first draft of this I did involved her being the daughter of a Red Room agent but I decided to drop that idea. Also, Nick Fury Jr. he's a comic book character, I'm just not sure in which universe. And Phil may seem OCC but I figured he'd be different around a kid. **_

**_REVIEW PLEASE!_**


	4. The Family We Gain

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE AVENGERS OR HALF THE CHARACTERS IN THIS STORY. MARVEL DOES. I own Sarah Natasha Rogers, SJ Rogers and a few minor characters, that's it. **

* * *

"Hello Sarah," Fury says as he walks into the room the next morning. The teenager is adding the last few touches to her uniform, her short new hair blocking her face from view. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes I did, sir," Sarah says look up at him. There are some light cuts that are healing as they speak. "Where am I going, sir?" Her packed duffel bag is next to her.

"You and Agent Coulson are going on a trip to New York. You might be moved their permanently with a family as well," Fury says with a small smile on his face. Sarah moves her short bangs from her eyes as she nods. Fury notes how the short hair looks better on the teen. "How was the mission? I have yet to read the reports but I see you were hurt."

"They're all dead except for Doctor Bosch. The file should be on your desk by now. Other than that," she says looking him in the eye, "I don't wish to talk about the mission, Nick. But thank you for sending me and giving me closure."

"I thought it would. Are you ready to go?" Nick asks. Sarah nods as she slings her duffel bag over her shoulder and grabs a second one from the floor. She grabs a picture off the table and slips it in her jacket. The pair walks down the hallway to the elevator.

"Morning Phil," Sarah says with a smile as they reach the waiting quinjet. Sarah tosses her bags next to Phil's before giving her handler a hug. "Thank you for last night."

Phil chuckles, "Well, you always have issues with nightmares. I have a new mission for you, high school." Sarah groans causing Phil to roll his eyes. Phil roughs up her hair and turns to Nick as Sarah walks over to Maria.

"Morning Boss," Phil says.

"Having fun with the kid?" Fury asks.

"She's like family," Phil defends. The pair notices Sarah greeting Maria will a smile and a handshake. "She's come a long way, Boss."

"She has. Steve's offer should still be standing so she'll have a home if everything goes right." Phil nods.

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

"I've hidden all her files. Only Maria, you, the Avengers, and myself will have access to them. We don't need the Counsel finding out."

"That's for sure." Sarah says a quick goodbye to Aiman, Rae, Robert, and Mathews as they hurry to say goodbye. Rae gives her a small bag of cookies for which she's grateful having skipped breakfast.

"No helicopters," Mathews warns Sarah. Sarah shoves his shoulder lightly before hugging him.

"Thanks." She hugs Robert and Aiman too.

"I'll miss our training lessons kid," Aiman says. "Good luck." Sarah nods and smiles as she rejoins everyone on the jet. With a final wave, Fury closes the ramp and Sarah goes up front. She slips in the pilot's seat and easily pilots the jet off the ground.

"No spins," Phil calls from the back.

"Killjoy," Sarah mutters. She pilots them to New York but lets the actual pilot take over when they get in New York airspace. They land at the SHIELD ground station close by and acquire an SUV. Sarah and Phil toss their bags in the back of the SUV before sliding in the back seats. Maria drives them to the Avengers Tower, the trip taking longer than anyone would have cared for. She parks the vehicle in the private Avengers parking lot under Stark Tower in a spot marked "SHIELD PERSONNEL" though Fury has his own spot. Phil and Sarah bring their bags upstairs with them; they'll at least be staying the week according to Fury.

"Jarvis, where are the Avengers?" Fury inquires.

"Movie theater level." Fury rolls his eyes and tells Phil and Sarah to leave their bags in Avengers' living area before they go to track down the Avengers.

"Do they know we're coming?" Phil asks.

"They know two guests are coming, not that it's you two," Fury answers. The door opens to the movie room and the four walk into the lounge like theater.

"I say no!" Clint yells in Tony's face.

"What's going on?" Maria asks anyone in the room.

"They're debating what movie to watch. Tony wants to watch Brave," Bruce says not looking at the ground, "primarily just to torture Clint."

"What else is up for choices?" Phil inquires.

"No one has suggested anything but I'd like to watch 21 Jump Street. What about you Phil?" Bruce asks. It then hits him what he's just said and he turns around to find Phil Coulson standing very much alive in front of him. "Phil, you're alive?"

"Cryostasis until they could fix me," Phil answers the unspoken question of how he was alive.

"Oh my gosh, Phil," Bruce says a little louder and the whole room goes silent. He crosses the room and hugs Phil with one arm, even though he knows him less than any of the other Avengers do. The Avengers turn to see why Bruce had raised his voice and freeze stunned. Sarah hides behind Fury as the Avengers swoop in to see Phil. Fury causes his coat to billow some and widens his arms a little to hide the nervous teenager. Maria sets her hand on Sarah's shoulder to calm the girl.

"How?" Clint asks with this odd questioning look on his face. Thor has an identical look on his face. Phil moves his shirt to reveal the scar on his chest.

"They put me in cryostasis until they had everything to save me. I spent three days in surgery to repair the damage. Then months in recovery. Just cleared for duty two weeks ago, actually. And seeing as I'm the new handler for the Avengers, I thought I should take over quickly so you can stop driving Maria up the wall," Phil says in his typical off handed voice. Clint doesn't hesitate as he moves forward and hugs his handler, patting Phil's back to make sure it's really him. Phil hugs Clint back and comforts the Archer.

"Don't ever die on me again," Clint tells him.

"Not planning on it, Barton."

"Phil," Natasha says before giving the man a hug and backing off. "That goes double for me." Phil smirks and turns his attention to Thor.

"Son of Coul," Thor says with a smile.

"Call me Phil," the man chuckles causing Thor to smile wider. "Good to see you, Donald." Thor laughs at the old joke.

"Tis good to see you again, Phil." Thor offers his hand even though he wants to give his fellow warrior a hug.

"If you want a hug Thor all you have to do is ask." The two warriors hug and Phil turns his attention to the two remaining Avengers.

"Phil, you and I will have to get to know each other much better now," Steve says. "It's good to have you back on the team."

"Never ever do that to us again," Tony warns. "Pepper was distraught."

"Where is she? I should talk to her."

"I'm right here," Pepper says from the door. They all turn to the door to see her standing there with tears on her face. Maria moves out of the way, as Pepper quickly hurries across the room in her heels to give Phil a hug. "It's good to have you back Phil. I think you're the only one that can wrangle in all these Avengers."

"Good to see you too, Pepper," Phil chuckles hugging her. "I hope you haven't had to do much of my job for me."

"Half of it. I took care of the home life and Maria took care of the work life," Pepper chuckles to which Maria looks away blushing. "Who is this?" Pepper asks as she spots Sarah who is still hiding behind Fury.

"You were so excited to see them again and now you're hiding?" Nick asks Sarah over his shoulder.

"Nervous and afraid he won't remember or want me." Steve's head snaps up and he moves to look around Nick. His eyes widen and he quickly moves the five feet to Sarah. He wraps the blond teenager in his arms and hugs her closely to his chest. Sarah is stunned by the move and Steve tightens his arms around her.

"Six months kiddo," he breathes in her ear.

"You remember me," she says with realization.

"How could I ever forget you?" Sarah wraps her arms around Steve's neck and he smiles softly as she buries her face in his flannel shirt. Sarah wraps her legs around Steve's waist so he's holding her completely. Soft sobs rock through her body as he holds her closer.

"Is that who I think it is?" Natasha breathes.

"Her new name is Sarah Natasha Rogers," Fury informs the whole group. "I'm hoping that offer to take her in still stands."

"Of course it does! I have her room already squared away," Tony boasts.

"Welcome home, Sarah," Steve says stroking her hair softly as she buries her face in his neck. "Welcome to the family." After a few moments, Natasha's arms snake around Sarah and Sarah releases Steve to hug Natasha.

"It's good to see you," Natasha chuckles.

"Did you get my picture?" Sarah asks.

"It's framed upstairs," Natasha chuckles. Sarah smiles and releases herself from Natasha's grasp.

"She's grown up well," Bruce comments to break the tension.

"Phil's been raising her. They were at the same hospital and he's been acting sort of like an uncle to her," Nick informs them.

"What happened to your face?" Steve demands examining Sarah's healing face.

"It's nothing," Sarah insists. Natasha glares at her and she looks away meekly. "Nick, little help here would be nice!"

"She went on a mission and got a little hurt. They'll disappear by the end of the day," Phil says to which everyone looks at him with an expression of _say what now_ on their faces. "That one, I'll let Nick or the kid tell." Nick looks at Sarah and Sarah looks up at Steve who has his hand on her shoulder now.

"I'm your clone daughter," Sarah states. The room is deadly quiet.

"Is that even possible?" Natasha asks Fury.

"We checked. The only difference is the fact she's a girl. We suspect since she was born with the serum she'll age until maturity and then slow down to Steve's level," Fury explains.

"Sorry for the shock," Sarah says to Steve and Natasha.

"No, no, that's fine," Steve insists.

"Hey, I'm the good kid here. My clone brothers, those guys are some evil SOBs," Sarah mutters.

"Language," Steve warns.

"Well they were! They've tried to kill me on multiple occasions and beat the living day lights out of me," Sarah counters. Natasha puts her hand on Steve's shoulder to steady him. The fact he had more clone children was a shock.

"Where are your, er, brothers?" Steve inquires.

"Currently, well their bodies are under the wreckage of an explosion," Sarah answers.

"Dead?"

"Yeah, they're sort of the ones that did most of the beating," Sarah explains motioning to her face.

"Tony, I need a drink," Steve says.

"It's ten in the morning," Bruce protests.

"Sorry Cap, I'm sober, remember?" Tony counters. Steve groans and sits down on one of the benches.

"Take it easy, soldier," Nick says. A grumbling stomach causes eyes to turn to Sarah.

"What? My breakfast was cookies," she mutters.

"Natasha, Pepper, why don't you two take Sarah upstairs to the kitchen and get her actual food. We'll debrief the team. Maria, debrief the girls," Fury orders. The women leave the room and the men manage to calm Steve down and give it all to him.

"Yummy!" Sarah laughs as Pepper puts a plate of microwaveable pancakes in front of the teenager. "Thank you Miss Pepper!"

"Just call me Pepper," Pepper corrects her. Sarah nods as she shovels the next fork full into her mouth. Maria informs Natasha and Pepper of all the things they need to know about the situation. Phil walks into the room holding a paper and a pen.

"Natasha," Phil says holding out the pen, "one signature and she's all yours. Steve already signed." Phil hands Natasha the paper and it's a birth certificate for Sarah. Marked on there is Steve as her father and her name is printed under mother. Natasha signs the paper and hands it back to Phil. She envelopes Sarah in a hug and smiles.

"You're all ours, mоя принцесса," Natasha says.

"I'm not a princess," Sarah protests.

"You're our princess. You speak Russian?"

"Not very good."

"I shall teach you then. I am Russian by birth. Now then, how about we go watch a movie with the boys?" Natasha suggests.

"Can I put my stuff in a room first?" Sarah asks.

"Where is your stuff?" Phil points at the living room. Natasha and Sarah grab the two duffel bags and walk to the elevator. Natasha shows her to a room with SARAH on the nametag. Sarah stares at the name before opening the door and looking in her room.

A Queen-sized four-post bed is in the center of the room pressed up again the back wall. Light blue see through material serves as the canopy with soft reds and blues for her main sheets. The closet door is open ready to receive clothes and the dresser is nice and dusted. There's a corner desk, one to study or write on and the other to use the computer on. There's a bed table next to the bed with an alarm clock and a dim light. Sitting on a shelf is a stereo system with the speakers rooted into the ceiling of the room.

"It's not much right now but I thought we could go out shopping," Natasha suggests.

"I'd love that, Mom," Sarah says looking at Natasha before setting her duffel bag on the bed. "Um, two things, I have weapons, where can I hide them? Secondly, should I change?"

"Yes to the second one. And as for the first one," Natasha says with a chuckle. She motions to inside the canopy bed. Sarah pulls the canopy away and sees the mirror there. Natasha motions her to lift it up and it reveals a compartment for weapons. "Tony had them installed in all bedrooms."

"This is amazing."

"I'll be waiting just outside the door, okay?" Sarah nods and quickly deposits her weapons inside of the compartment. Well, other than a small knife in her boot and the pistol that is gently hid in the nightstand. She quickly changes into civilian clothes and walks out to see Natasha waiting there.

"So, what have you been doing the past couple of months?" Natasha asks.

"Learning. I've done training, learned most of the vehicles that SHIELD uses, the weapons, and school stuff. Plus the one mission," Sarah mutters. She can tell they're headed back to the lounge.

"What vehicles don't you know how to use?" Natasha asks.

"Helicopter. Well, I shouldn't say I don't know how to use it. I'm just a little scared to go up in one again," Sarah confides in her.

"Why?"

"Well, I was piloting one and we got caught up in a storm. Lightning hit and we went down. I pulled my instructor and me out, bailed before we hit the ground. I spent a couple of weeks healing. Still a little uncomfortable with them." Natasha smiles and wraps an arm around her.

"I'm sure Clint will fix that fear one day." They arrive back in the lounge to find the boys fighting over movies again. So, to fix it, Natasha has Sarah pick out a movie and start playing it. The boys don't even realize it's playing until Sarah, Phil, Natasha, and Maria throw popcorn at them and tell them to shut up. Fury chuckles pretty good at it.

"So, what are we watching?" Steve asks as he settles down on Sarah's right side on one of the lounge's couches.

"Van Helsing," Sarah answers.

"You love this movie don't you?" Phil asks.

"Yep!" She snuggles in between her two parents with a content smile on her face. They're at the point that Van Helsing protects the Frankenstein monster from Anna Valerious who wants to slay the monster when a phone goes off.

"Whose phone is that?" Tony demands.

"Mine, sorry," Fury says walking out of the room. The door closes and they pay attention to the movie. "Uh, Sarah, can I talk to you?" Sarah flips over the couch and walks out into the hallway. "How many brothers did you have?"

"Six that I knew of, all of them older. Why?"

"They just found a blond hair, blue eyed boy about three years younger than you in the wreckage. He was protected because he was in a hidden cell in a lab only exposed by the explosion," Fury informs her. "Is there a possibility that he could be a clone?"

"Of course. They were always trying to come up with a way to make the male clones submissive. If I saw him, I could tell you if it was a clone," Sarah insists. Fury brings up a photograph on his phone and shows it to Sarah. "Clone. They all look the same. Can I see him?"

"They're trying to get him out of the cell but he won't let anyone near him," Fury informs her. "It's an hour flight in the quinjet at top speed."

"The Avengers have a quinjet?" Sarah asks hopefully. Fury nods. Sarah turns into the room. "Who wants to go on a field trip?"

"Why?" Tony asks while pausing the movie.

"Looks like we might have a good male clone of the Captain. Our men can't get near him because of how traumatized the boy is," Fury explains. "Sarah thinks she can get to him."

"Let's go Avengers. Phil, Maria, are you coming as well?" Tony asks.

"Wouldn't miss it," Phil says and Maria nods. Within ten minutes, they're all on the jet and in partial uniforms for safety's sake. Sarah has slipped on her vest for protection. Clint pilots the quinjet there and lands softly with the other quinjets. The Avengers survey the damage.

"You did this?" Clint demands of Sarah.

"No, one of the bad guys hit the self destruct button," Sarah counters. A SHIELD agent comes forward and escorts them through the wreckage. The sound of banging and shouts fill the air.

"Stay away!" a boy's voice orders. Sarah walks around a corner and spots the cell. The SHIELD agents are still trying to get in.

"Hey! Leave him alone!" Sarah shouts. The agents look at her and Fury motions them to back off. Sarah walks forward and examines the boy. She takes off her vest and hands it to Fury. She goes through the cell door and the boy cowers in the back of the cell.

"Leave me alone!" he shouts at her.

"Hey, I'm not here to hurt you, okay? Alexandra, Martin, they're all dead," Sarah tells him. He stares at her.

"How do you know?" he asks.

"I saw them die with my own eyes, okay? I was among the ones that came here and fought them," Sarah continues continuing forward. She crouches as she gets closer to the younger boy. "I used to be like you, a prisoner of theirs, but I'm free now. Can you tell me who you're a clone of?"

"Captain America," he stammers.

"Well, I'm a girl clone of Captain America. He's our dad, okay? That means that I'm your sister. How old are you?"

"Thirteen as of today."

"Yeah, today's the 4th, isn't it? I'm 16. These people, they're here to help, okay? Are you hurt?" Sarah asks.

"No, I healed, but I'm too weak to move much anymore," he confesses.

"Listen, our dad is right out there. I'm going to pick you up and carry you out to your new family, okay?" Sarah asks cautiously.

"Okay. What's your name?" he asks.

"Sarah. Do you have a name?"

"No."

"Well, we'll get you one. Now wrap your arms around my neck and I'll pick you up, okay?" He nods and wraps his arms around her neck loosely. She picks him up and stands up straight. She shifts him in her arms and he lays his head down on her shoulder. She nuzzles his hair with her chin and carries him out of the cell.

"Tony," Steve says looking at Tony.

"I'll call Pepper," Tony says grabbing his phone from his pocket and dialing the number.

"I'll get the paperwork made up and sent over to Stark Tower by the end of tomorrow," Nick states. "Get him to the jet. I'll be there in a moment and we'll go to New Mexico for a medical work over. Then we can return to New York." They nod and Sarah looks down at her brother.

"You want me or Dad to carry you?"

"You." She nods and starts walking with the Avengers following. They see the carnage, they spot Alexandra's body on the way out, and they see the damage that the team has caused. When they get back to the jet, Sarah lays her little brother down on the cot and smiles at him.

"You want to meet our dad?" He nods and Sarah motions Steve over. Steve kneels next to the cot and reaches a hand out for the boy. The boy takes his hand and Steve smiles at him. "This is our dad, Steve Rogers, also known as Captain America."

"Hi."

"Hi, son. You want to meet the woman Sarah calls mom?" Steve asks. "She could be yours if you wanted. I'm dating her." The boy nods and Natasha walks over. She sits on the edge of the cot and smiles at him.

"I'm Natasha, but when you're ready, you could call me Mom if you want," Natasha offers. He nods and smiles. He reaches for Sarah's hand and she takes his hand in a comforting older sibling way.

"Now we got to come up with a name for you," Sarah chuckles. "Why don't you be Steve Rogers Jr., and Dad can be Steve Rogers Sr.?"

"Sarah," Steve says with a tone of warning in his voice.

"Do you have a better name?" Sarah questions.

"What about James?" Steve counters.

"I don't think we're ready for a junior just yet," Tony calls from his seat.

"What do you think little brother?" Sarah asks the blond.

"Junior. That way, if Dad and Mom have a kid, they can name him James!" Steve Jr. says.

"Fine," Steve chuckles roughing up his son's hair. "You all right with that Natasha?"

"Sounds fine to me." They smile and Sarah hugs her little brother. Bruce brings over food from the cooler they had brought and Sarah helps Junior sit up and eats.

"So, do we call you Steven, Steve, Stevie, or Junior?" Tony asks walking over.

"Junior. Who are you, mister?" Junior asks.

"Tony Stark," Tony answers. "Your family lives at Stark Tower with me and the rest of the Avengers."

"Oh." The Avengers introduce themselves just in time for Nick and Maria board the jet. After takeoff, they fly to New Mexico where Steve Jr. is looked over by doctors. After getting the kid a change of clothes, they head back to New York. Maria and Fury leave once they've landed leaving the Avengers family alone.

"All right, how about we go shopping?" Natasha suggests as she looks her kids over.

"Sounds good, Mom," Sarah says with a smile. And with that, the Rogers family heads out shopping. Steve takes Junior to one side of the store while Sarah and Natasha tackle the other side. They get decent clothes, tennis shoes, the womanly essentials, and accessories. Then they head over to another section.

"Do not tell your father I'm letting you buy this stuff," Natasha warns her. Sarah smirks as they pick out a pair of decent heels and a nice looking dress with a bra to match. They get a few accessories for it and makeup. After that, they check out and find the boys waiting at the benches for them.

"You two look like you've had fun," Steve comments.

"We did. How about lunch?" Natasha suggests. They all agree and the two Avengers take their kids to the nearest Italian place for good Italian food. By the time, they return to the Tower after a little browsing at bookstores and getting things for the kids' rooms, its dinnertime. They join the rest of the Avengers for dinner, the kids fitting into the family perfectly. Phil, on assignment to New York, stays a week before his apartment is ready. Apparently, he's going to become the Principal at a school that some superhero kids will be attending. Steve Junior goes with Natasha or Steve every day to SHIELD base in New York for catch up school. Even then, he probably won't start school until the following year.

About a week and a half after the kids had moved in, Jarvis alerts Natasha and Steve to a disturbance in Sarah's room. The pair runs to her room to find her tossing and turning on the bed, a cold sweat cakes her skin, her expression is pained, and she's crying.

"No. Stop. Please! I'll do anything just stop. It hurts! Michael! Michael, help me!" Sarah screams. "Get that thing away from me! NO!" Sarah's head cracks off the headboard hard. Steve moves quickly to pin his daughter to the bed as Natasha tries to soothe the girl.

"Sarah, Sarah, wake up," Natasha begs.

"Sarah, wake," Steve says firmly. The teen's eyes snap open and she gasps for air. The sobs rock through her body as Steve takes her into his arms and holds her closely. Sarah cries into his chest for ten minutes, Natasha rubs her back in an attempt to soothe he. The door opens to reveal Steve Junior there.

"Is Sissy okay?" he asks.

"She's having nightmares," Natasha tells him. Steve Junior climbs up on the bed and wraps his arms around his sister.

"It's okay, Sis, they can't get us anymore," Steve Junior tells her. Sarah's starts to calm down and soon it's obvious she's asleep in Steve Jr. and Steve's arms.

"I don't want to leave her here," Natasha murmurs softly as they lay Sarah back down on the bed.

"I'll stay with her Mom," Junior insists. "Nightmares are common. Just having someone next to you will help." Junior settles in next to his sister and wraps his arms around her comforting her. The door cracks open to reveal Phil there.

"She has a teddy bear, it always helped her," Phil says.

"If I were Sarah, where would I hide the teddy bear?" Steve questions looking around the room. Natasha lifts up the mirror and pulls the teddy bear out of the hidden space. "Thanks Phil."

"Not a problem." Junior puts the teddy bear between him and his sister before drifting off to sleep. The adults leave the room and Steve runs his hand across his face.

"Phil, did Sarah ever speak of someone named Michael?" Natasha asks.

"No, but I've heard her murmur his name in nightmares before. I never had the heart to ask. I'm headed out. See you around." Phil walks away and the two parents look at each other.

"We'll ask her in the morning," Steve decides. Natasha nods in agreement and wraps her arms around Steve. Steve hugs her back and rubs her back in an attempt to take away the tension in her muscles. "Tasha, I was thinking, it's about time we marry. I mean, we already act like it; the kids are ours, so I think we should marry. So, I guess what I'm saying is, Natasha Romanoff, will you marry me?"

"Of course Steve I'll marry you." They kiss and walk off to their room. In the morning, they sit down with Sarah in her room. Their 16 year old holds the teddy bear in her arms as they sit on both sides of her.

"Sarah, we need to talk about last night," Steve starts slowly. Sarah nods not looking at either of them. "Who's Michael?" Sarah clings to the teddy bear tighter. Natasha moves silently and wraps her body around Sarah's.

"Mоя принцесса you need to talk to us, that's the only way we can help you," Natasha whispers in her ear. "You're safe here. We'll always be here to help you through it."

"He was my brother," Sarah confesses softly. "He was older by ten years and he wasn't an evil jerk. He was like a dad to me. He betrayed me. He let them torture me into submission. He watched as they hurt me. He didn't even help me. I never forgave him even when he tried to break me out a year later. He d-died in my arms." Steve wraps his arms around Sarah and Natasha as their teenager cries. After they calm her down, they go join the others for breakfast.

"Feeling better, sis?" Junior asks.

"Yeah. Thanks for staying with me last night." Junior nods and hugs his sister.

"We miss something?" Clint inquires.

"Nightmares," Sarah admits. Everyone at the table can sympathize with that. She spends the rest of the morning in the gym beating up a punching bag before Tony tears her away from that to play with gadgets up in the lap. That night, Sarah doesn't have any nightmares because Junior joins her in bed, keeping an eye on his older sister and vice versa.

* * *

_**Mоя принцесса means "My Princess" in Russian. **_

_**Also, I personally like Steve Jr., especially since he was raised a little differently than his sister. That will come in later on of course. And yes, Sarah's past is going to continue to haunt her in new forms. **_

**_Yes I love Van Helsing, I love the movie. I'm waiting to see if someone will say what actor in the Marvel Movie universe is in Van Helsing, because I want those type of cameos in here._**

**_Last thing, please, send me some ideas. I have a good buffer amount of chapters between this one and the latest one I finished and I'd like to keep it that way, so I need ideas. This is what, chapter 4? I have chapter 13 done, but 13 is a short one... Anyway, start sending me ideas. Chapter 13 takes place during Sarah's Christmas break. So I'm going to need some ideas for after Christmas break in her universe ends. So, send me some ideas, please. _**

**_REVIEW PLEASE!_**


	5. Mission Impossible SCHOOL

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE AVENGERS OR HALF THE CHARACTERS IN THIS STORY. MARVEL DOES. I own Sarah Natasha Rogers, SJ Rogers and a few minor characters, that's it. **

* * *

Sarah groans as Natasha hands her a backpack complete with a homemade lunch inside. Sarah shoulders the bag and grabs her half drank smoothie off the counter. It's the first day of school and she's quite nervous to say the least. She had been a week late because of some urgent SHIELD business, okay it wasn't that urgent, they went to New Mexico to visit Jane. And since then, Coulson had taken over as Principal and his super kids were registered. Sarah doesn't know who they are and she really doesn't want to. She wants to be normal for a few hours every day.

"Phil's waiting for you downstairs," Natasha informs Sarah.

"You do realize that sending me with the PRINCIPAL marks me as untouchable, right?" Sarah points out as Natasha walks her to the elevator.

"That's why Phil's taking you through the back entrance and you won't be seen. I'd take you but my car is in the shop and your father had to go to work early this morning. And unless you want Stark taking you there in one of his big flashy cars or in the Iron Man suit," Natasha continues but Sarah cuts her off.

"Got the point Mom. See you when I get home." Sarah takes the elevator down to the parking garage and jumps into Phil's SUV.

"The school is actually quite nice," Phil insists.

"I'm sure it is Phil, but I've never actually been to a school or been around other teenagers for that matter," Sarah mutters. Phil drives to the school and parks around back. The pair walk in through the teacher's access and he shows her around the school. Midtown High School her first school. She quickly puts her things in her locker and memorizes the lock combination. If it agitated her, she'd crush it and get a new one. She quickly walks toward her first hour class. She runs right into somebody.

"I'm sorry!" she gasps out looking at the person she had hit. A tall man with blond reddish hair looks down at her. "I'm so sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going."

"It's fine, really. You new to school?" he asks.

"Uh, yeah, just transferred in today."

"Oh. Well, I'm Flash Thompson. What grade are you in?" he asks curiously.

"Um, I'm a Junior."

"You look like a senior."

"I'm 16," Sarah replies.

"You sure don't look like it. See you around, Sarah." Flash walks around her and Sarah breathes a sigh of relief. She continues walking and sees Phil who waves her over.

"You look like you've had a heart attack," he says.

"I'm not completely sure I was ready for public school," she confesses.

"You'll do fine. Just remember, you're Sarah Rogers, nothing can stop you from succeeding." Sarah rolls her eyes and walks away. She walks over to her first class, math class.

"Excuse me," she says and the teacher looks up at her, "I'm Sarah Rogers. Could you tell me where I sit?"

"Ah, yes Miss Rogers, I've been expecting you. Do you have your books?" the teacher asks.

"Yes."

"Good. That's your seat right back there," the teacher says pointing to the chair in the back. Sarah hands the teacher the homework she's missed before taking her seat. She doodles on a sketch notebook she's carrying around. She has ten minutes before class starts.

"Hi," a voice says and Sarah looks up to see three girls there. "I'm Mary Jane Watson; I sit in front of you." The red head smiles at her softly.

"I'm Gwen Stacy," the blond says. "I sit next to you on your left."

"And I'm Ava Ayala," the one with darker skin says. "I sit on your right."

"Uh, hi. I'm Sarah Rogers," Sarah stammers holding her hand out. The girls shake her hand and Sarah smiles nervously.

"So, you're the new girl around?" Gwen chuckles.

"I guess."

"Well, so am I," Ava says. "If you need anything, just let me know." Sarah nods and pushes her hair from her face. Five boys walk into the room and sit down around the girls.

"Boys, introduce yourselves," Gwen demands. The boys look at Sarah who tries her best to be invisible.

"Hi, I'm Harry Osborn," the boy with brown wavy hair says.

"Luke Cage," the buff African American that vaguely reminds Sarah of Fury says.

"Daniel Rand," the next boy says.

"Sam Alexander," the next one says.

"I'm Peter Park. Welcome to Midtown High," Peter says with a smile. It takes Sarah less than five minutes of listening to these kids to piece together some of them are those superheroes that Coulson mentioned. Sarah almost cheered when the period bell went off. She quickly leaves the room and makes her way toward her next class. People bump into her and she ends up on the ground with her bag half way across the hall. She dives for the bag and sits in an alcove of a closed room's door. She leans her head back breathing heavy. She definitely wasn't ready for this.

The warning bell rang and Sarah flinched. She had heard similar noises when she had been a prisoner; they were always followed by pain. She hears someone getting in a fight and her heart rate accelerates.

"Sarah," Phil says walking up with Peter in tow, "hey, kiddo, look at me." Sarah looks up at him as she clutches her head. "Tell me what's wrong."

"Too many memories, too much, overload. I wasn't ready for this," she stutters.

"Hey, listen to me; I'm going to go call your parents to pick you up. Peter, will you take her to her locker and then to the office?" Phil asks.

"Sure, Principal Coulson."

"All right Sarah, you have to stand now," Phil coaxes her. He helps her stand up and Peter supports her loosely. "Her locker is down by the new kids." Peter nods and lets Sarah lean on him down the hallways.

"So, what's wrong?" Peter asks her.

"Can you keep a secret?" Sarah asks. Peter nods; he's a master of keeping secrets for the most part. "I've never been to school before. I was homeschooled. All of this is foreign to me." Peter holds Sarah's locker door open for her as she grabs her things. Peter walks her to the office and Phil gives him a late pass. Once Peter's out of sight, Phil crouches in front of Sarah.

"Sarah, you come back tomorrow but make sure you're ready," Phil insists. "We'll take it a step at a time, ok kiddo? No one expects you to be able to jump right into the population. Take small steps. Bruce is coming to pick you up, the others got called out. I got your homework for today." Sarah puts all the papers in her bag and nods to Phil. "You're a Rogers, you can do anything." The door opens and Bruce stands there.

"Hey Sarah. Your mom is sorry she couldn't come get you," Bruce says as Sarah gets up and shoulders her bag.

"It's fine, Bruce. Thanks for coming," Sarah says as Phil watches her leave with Bruce. Bruce leads her out to one of the modest cars Tony had bought for the rest of the team to use. Bruce helps Sarah in and drives her back to the Tower. He spends the rest of the time until lunch working Sarah through her homework. Steve comes back at lunch, his morning job done for now.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Steve asks Sarah as he walks into the kitchen.

"She had a panic attack at the school," Bruce informs him. "Phil called Natasha and Natasha called me. We're going to try again tomorrow."

"You okay kiddo?" Steve asks.

"The bells, they're too similar to… Pain, burning, electrical pain," Sarah stammers before looking up at Steve. "I'm sorry I couldn't do it Dad."

"Sweetheart, it's not your fault. We all know it's going to be difficult for you to adjust," Steve insists. "Why don't you go take a nap after lunch? That would help some wouldn't it?" Sarah nods and swallows the last of the sandwich. She walks off to her room and curls up with her teddy bear.

"I don't know what I'm going to do Bruce," Steve murmurs putting his head in his hands.

"What do you mean?" Bruce inquires. Bruce sets his cup of juice on the table in front of him as he eats the sandwich. Steve pulls out the sandwich he had made this morning from the fridge along with the milk. He pours a small glass and takes a bite of the ham and cheese sandwich.

"I don't know how to raise a kid and she's having such a hard time adapting. We sent her in there with no one to watch her back or help her. I mean, Phil's there but he can't be there in every class," Steve mutters. "I wish Fury had introduced her to that team. She could use the support."

"She'll be fine, Steve. It's her first day of school ever, she's nervous it's understandable. Steve, you're doing fine." Steve sighs and rubs his face tiredly. He downs the rest of his milk and wraps the sandwich in a paper towel.

"I have to go take care of Junior. See you after work."

"I'll take care of Sarah." Steve nods in agreement and walks away.

"Hey kiddo," Tony says from Sarah's bedroom door as the teenager watches TV using her projector.

"Hey Tony."

"I heard about school. I think I have just the thing that will help cheer you up and we can have a laugh," Tony says. Sarah's eyebrow arches and Tony pulls out a bag of water balloons from his pocket. "Most of the team is here and most of them are in the gym or the ranges." Sarah's face lights up. Tony and Sarah had done some pranks before and normally when Tony helped her, they were fun.

"Follow me if you want to help." Sarah follows Tony to his lab. They fill the water balloons up and put them in a bag with padding. Tony shows her how to use the little balloon launcher he had made, it was pretty much a giant slingshot, for the far targets. She smiles at the toy.

"Now you have to remember to come splash me too. I'll be with Bruce in the lounge. There are some vents in there too. Have fun," Tony says kissing her cheek.

"Thanks Tony." She smirks as she grabs her supplies and the extra balloons from the table. She takes the stairs down to the lounge level and climbs into the vents via the room next to the lounge. She adjusts the suction gear on her. She could hang upside down out of the vents and not fall thanks to a few gadgets Tony had given her. She crawls with the bag in front of her until she reaches the lounge's vent. She looks through the grate and spots Bruce and Tony sitting directly under her. She smiles evilly; this was going to be fun. She silently pulls the grate up and grabs three of the balloons from the bag. She strings three cords through the grating and attaches them to the balloons. She places the grating back in and waits until the water balloons have stilled two over Bruce's head and one over Tony's.

Once the movie gets loud enough, she pushes her gear behind her and flips around in the duct. She takes out her knife and waits for the next loud section. She slices the cords and watches the balloons drop.

"WHAT THE HELL!" Bruce shouts.

"Damn it!" Tony yelps. "That's freaking cold! And this is the good part of the movie!" Sarah doesn't giggle until she's safely out of this level of air ducts. She secures the vent and runs to the living section. She runs to Steve Junior's bedroom and dives in just as Bruce gets on the level. Sarah shushes her brother and hides in his closet while Bruce demands if he had seen Sarah. Junior says no and Bruce leaves.

"Sis what are you up to?" Junior asks.

"Tony asked me to have a little fun with water balloons. Want to help?" Sarah inquires.

"Gladly." They find another backpack and fill it up with the now full extra water balloons. The pair takes the stairs to the gym and range level. Silently they crawl above the gym and take out one vent. Sarah peaks down to see where everyone is at. Thor and Steve are in here along with, surprise, Phil, Happy, and Director Fury. The group is casually talking, Phil and Fury next to the boxing ring and the Avengers plus Happy in the ring. They replace the grate and move away from the vent.

"All right, you get in position above Phil and Fury. I get the other three. We'll have to drop the balloons and crawl so the best place is to the range vents. I'm going to slide the bags and the launcher down the duct," Sarah whispers to Steve Junior. He nods and Sarah slides the supplies once they get to the vents. Junior takes out his grate and lays waiting with four balloons, two in each hand. Sarah pulls her grate out and sets it in front of her. She places the six balloons on top of the grate and takes four in hand. She looks at Junior and nods.

Junior drops the two balloons on Phil's head first. The seasoned agent dives to the side as Junior drops the other two on Fury's head. He quickly replaces the grate and slithers toward his sister. At the same time, Sarah has chucked two balloons on Happy's head and two on Thor's head. She grabs the other two and drops them on Steve's head. Junior pushes her grate in and the pair takes off.

"BARTON!" Fury shouts.

"What?" Clint demands walking into the room.

"Never mind," Nick mutters.

"Have either of you seen Sarah? Bruce thinks she's playing water balloon war on him," Clint explains.

"Well that must have been Junior helping her here. They'll show up," Steve mutters. Sarah and Junior laugh and their laughter is heard through the vent. "I'm coming to get you!" Steve yells.

"Well, we're headed to go get Pepper!" Sarah shouts.

"She's doing quarterly reports," Happy states to Steve.

"SHIT!" Steve and Happy take off to get Pepper away from any vents.

"Get out of the vents now!" Fury orders.

"Once we find a safe spot, sir!" Junior yells. Sarah and Junior chuckle and head off to the range. As expected, Clint comes into the range to warn Natasha. Sarah and Junior have the vent removed and between them there are five water balloons about to be dropped on the two Avengers as they talk close together admiring Natasha's target. Once Natasha's gun is out of her hand, the pair drops the balloons, put the grate in, and crawl for their lives. Good thing they did, Natasha shot at the air duct. The pair drops down in the next room they can find and load up the launcher. They run into the hallway where Bruce is searching for Sarah still. The rest of the Avengers join him.

"Say hello to my little friend!" Sarah laughs and shoots the water balloon at her family. While Junior chucks three at them, Sarah launches another two in the launcher. The pair run for the stairs and take them two flights up before stopping and perching on the flat section there. The door opens two floors down and the rest of the family comes hot on their trail. The two teenagers throw balloons at their family drenching them. Once Bruce is a half flight of stairs from them, they take off and dive through the first door they get too. Running through the level, which happened to be their living quarters, they dive into the elevator and go up three more levels to Tony and Pepper's big office.

"Hey, Aunt Pepper, mind if we use your vent?" Sarah asks running into the room and jumping up the bookcase.

"Water balloons?" Pepper asks.

"Tony gave them to me," Sarah says as she pops the vent off and throws the gear in. She pulls Junior up to it and shoves him through before diving in herself.

"Give me a few water balloons, I'll distract them a few minutes," Pepper offers. Sarah hands her five water balloons and secures the vent. The pair crawls away through the vents as Pepper pelts the first people through her door with water balloons.

"Traitor!" Natasha shouts as they Avengers retreat to find the two teenagers.

"The kids are having fun," Pepper counters.

"Lower me down," Junior says. Sarah nods and lowers him down the vent to the next level. She then hands him the gear and climbs down. The pair opens the nearest vent and climb out. They're in Steve and Natasha's bedroom. The two proceed to climb back through the vent and get out in Sarah's bedroom.

"I never wanted to be in their room," Junior says.

"I know the feeling. JARVIS, where are the Avengers?"

"The Avengers are currently meeting in the common living room figuring out a plan of attack," JARVIS answers.

"JARVIS do not tell them where we are, understand?" Sarah warns.

"Understood ma'am." Sarah and Junior go to the common living room floor and climb into the vents via the vent in the office that Clint uses for paperwork. The pair only has fifteen more balloons. They crawl to the room and scout it out. The Avengers are all gathered around the coffee table. Sarah points at the bar and Junior nods. They pair crawl to the vent on the wall of the bar and remove the vent. Sarah pulls out the holographic replacement device Tony had lent her so it looked like the vent was still in place. Sarah loads the launcher and prepares the shot. Junior has the balloons ready to replace once she's out. She launches the first one and hits Thor on the back of the head. The Avengers turn toward the bar. Natasha goes forward and walks behind the bar.

"They're not here and the vents still in place," Natasha states. Sarah loads another water balloon and waits until the group is busy discussing again. This time she manages Clint's head. He examines the vent but the hologram prevents him from seeing them. He walks back and they continue talking. Sarah loads three of the water balloons this time and the three disperse hitting the group. When they had walked away, she replaces the vent and takes the device back. Junior and Sarah go to the other vent located on the other side of the room. They repeat the process. Lastly, they climb out of the vent opening in the elevator shaft, climb into the elevator cart, and open the door with the remaining five water balloons in hand. They throw them at the adults before the Avengers tackle them.

"Hey, at least we didn't destroy anything!" Junior laughs as Thor tickles him for punishment while Clint and Bruce pinned him.

"Where'd you get the balloons?" Natasha asks Sarah.

Sarah laughs, "Mom, who do you think?" Natasha glares at Tony and tackles the billionaire.

"You feel better now?" Steve asks letting Sarah sit up.

"Much better," Sarah says with the biggest smile.

"I'm glad." Steve hugs his little girl and smiles.

The next morning, Sarah tries school again. This time, Peter's there to greet her at her locker and supports her through the passing time.

"Thanks Peter," Sarah says softly as they make it to second period.

"Not a problem." She has this class with Peter and his friends too. She's paired up with Ava who notices Sarah's little issues with noises. At lunch, Sarah looks around the cafeteria and finds a table in the corner she can sit at by herself. She quickly makes her way over to it and sits with her back to the wall. She sketches Steve's uniform with mask on of course.

"That's really good," Ava says walking up. "Can I sit?"

"Uh, sure." Ava sits down and Sarah closes the sketchbook.

"Do you like to sketch?" Ava inquires.

"Yeah. I get it from my dad," Sarah answers.

"You have any siblings?" Ava pries.

"A little brother he's 13."

"Do you like having a little brother?" Ava continues.

"Yeah, he's good for chasing the nightmares away that's for sure." Ava laughs and someone clears their throat.

"Can we sit?" Peter asks with Daniel, Sam, and Luke flanking him.

"Sure," Sarah says. They sit down and Sarah spies Phil monitoring them from a distance.

"So, what do you think of the school?" Luke asks.

"It's okay. I-I-I've never gone to school before, homeschooled," Sarah says. "Everything's foreign to me."

"Well, we'll look out for you," Peter insists.

"Thanks Peter." After lunch is English class.

"You'll be receiving partners for this assignment," the teacher says walking between the rows. "You'll have to meet up outside of class and write a story with a connection to your topic. Parker, you're partnered with Rogers." Sarah looks over at Peter who shares the same face of shock. Neither of them can easily have the other come over.

"So, uh, Sarah," Peter says, "my aunt has this club coming over the rest of the week so the house is kind of crowded and we won't be able to work in peace."

"I can give my parents a call and see if they'll let you come over," Sarah stammers. Peter nods and looks at the assignment. Their topic is isolation. The bell rings and they go to gym class. Sarah easily laps half the class without even trying; she would have lapped the other half if she had put any care into it. They're playing dodge ball, surprisingly, that is until Sarah sees the teacher.

"I'm Coach Barton, your substitute teacher for the next three weeks," the coach says. Sarah groans and hides her face from Clint's eyes. "Time to play dodge ball kids. Have fun, aim well, and let's see who wins." Clint comes up next to Sarah. "Win."

"Shut it Clint." Sarah grabs the first dodge ball that flies at her with easy and hits one of Flash's friends out. They're halfway through the game with the back wall of the school explodes.

"SARAH!" Clint shouts. Sarah looks up from where she's on the ground and spots the villain. Her blood grows cold at the sight of the mercenary.

"Hot Shot Thomas," she growls standing up with a dodge ball in hand.

"Just who I was looking for. No hard feelings kid, but you know the fail safe. It was only a matter of time." Sarah throws the ball at his face before charging. She jumps on his back and topples him over. He strikes her with his arm and she flies back from the impact. "You like that? It's a kinetic energy converter."

"Not going to change a thing," Sarah counters grabbing the lid from a garbage can. She blocks his next punch with it and slams a metal chair to his head. Hot Shot throws her into the bleachers and pins her there, a knife in his hand.

"Come now, Sarah, it's just routine. You destroyed the company. You knew it was coming. You didn't even try hiding," he laughs.

"Have you seen who my family is?" she demands before she clocks him good in the face and jumps on his back. She grabs all the wires on his suit that she can and pulls on them. "CLINT A LITTLE HELP!" Thomas uses the flamethrower on his suit on Sarah and she screams as he jumps off him. She throws the lid at his head, knocking him back a few feet. He uses the kinetic punch to send her into the bleachers where she stays down.

"Get away from her!" a voice shouts. Sarah recognizes it instantly as her father's voice. Cap and Iron Man fly through the hole in the wall. Iron Man releases Cap, sending the Captain onto Thomas. Clint runs over to Sarah as she lies on the bleachers.

"I hate high school," she growls.

"I know the feeling kiddo. How's the shoulder?" he asks. Sarah pulls the fabric away to reveal the healing skin. Iron Man restrains the now unconscious Thomas while Cap sprints over to Sarah.

"You okay?"

"Public, remember?" Sarah growls.

"Screw it. Are you okay?" Steve demands.

"I'll be fine, if Legalos would let me get up and get a new shirt to hide the healing flesh," Sarah answers. Clint lets her up and Sarah walks to the locker room. She changes her shirt before returning to the gym floor where Cap smiles at her before walking away. Clint does a head count and finds everyone there.

"All right, to the library," Clint orders. Groans fill the room as they go to the locker rooms to change. Sarah walks up to Clint. "Are you wondering why I'm here?"

"It crossed my mind."

"Your mother wanted someone to keep an eye on you inside of a class, so I got volunteered. Thor and your dad would stand out too much. Bruce wouldn't be able to take the stress, Natasha is busy, and Tony well he's Tony." Sarah rolls her eyes causing Clint to hug her just to embarrass her. "Nice moves by the way."

"Thanks." Once in the library, Sarah texts Natasha about Peter coming over. Natasha agrees only if Tony picks them up and they stay in Sarah's room so he doesn't see the rest of the Avengers.

"Hey, Peter," Sarah says walking over to him.

"What is it Sarah?" Peter asks as he marks the page in his book.

"My mom says you can come over. My uncle is going to pick us up after school, is that okay?"

"That's fine. I'll meet you at your locker after school," Peter insists. Sarah nods and walks away. Her StarkPhone vibrates and she looks down at the message. She groans as Tony sends her a picture of what car he's picking them up in. When the bell rings, Sarah goes to her locker and grabs her things. Peter walks up just as she closes her locker. They walk out the front door and find Tony Stark sitting in a convertible with the roof down. There's a group of kids gathered around the car staring at Tony as he signs some notebooks. Tony waves at Clint and Phil as he signs the last notebook.

"Ah, there you are," Tony laughs looking at Sarah.

"Your ass is mine," Sarah snarls. "Really? The convertible? Couldn't you have borrowed Bruce's SUV?" Sarah complains.

"Where's the fun in that? So, study date," Tony says looking over Peter who stands in awe next to the car.

"Say it and I will personally kick your ass off the balcony," Sarah snarls throwing her bag in the front seat. "Come on Peter." The two teenagers climb into the car and Tony roars off toward the Tower. Sarah hides her face with her hands.

"I'm sorry I embarrassed you," Tony says sincerely as they are caught at a stop light. "Sarah, I said I was sorry. You know that doesn't happen often."

"Doesn't exactly help, Tony," Sarah mutters. "Damage control is going to be hell tomorrow." Peter is silent in the back as Tony starts driving again. "What happened to Hot Shot Thomas?"

"SHIELD hands," Tony answers. "You healing all right kiddo?"

"Yeah, I'm fine Tony."

"Uh, can I ask a question?" Peter asks.

"Shoot," Tony says glancing at Peter through the rearview mirror.

"Where are we going?"

"Stark Tower of course," Tony answers. "Sarah and her family lives there with me. Her mother asked me to pick you two up. Actually, she said if I didn't she'd have the Hulk throw me off the building without my suit."

Sarah laughs, "She'd do it too." Peter sits dumbfounded in the back as Tony pulls into his parking spot. The ride up the elevator is long but the private elevator is playing Back in Black so it's not all that bad. Sarah and Peter get off first and walk through the halls toward her bedroom.

"Ah, Sarah, what adventures did you have at school today?" Thor inquires upon seeing the young blond.

"We had a villain break into the school," Peter says. Thor raises an eyebrow looking at Sarah.

"How was the battle?"

"Fun. Iron Man and Cap finished it off," she states as she opens her door. "See you at dinner."

"CLINT BARTON!" Tony yells and the archer sprints past.

"Hey you got here fast," Clint remarks before pecking Sarah on the cheek and running off before Tony can catch up to them.

"Was that Coach Barton?"

"We better get inside before the rest of the family shows up," Sarah mutters. She lets Peter in and closes the door. Her room is spotless clean and she turns the light on a comfortable level. "Sorry about the family."

"That's fine. So you live with the Avengers?" Peter asks.

"Yeah. Do me a favor, don't tell anyone. I mean it's already bad enough that the kids at school know I know Tony," Sarah says digging her paperwork out of her bag before hanging it up. She goes to her bed and slides the gun into the dresser. "Uh, would you like a snack or something?"

"Uh, sure."

"JARVIS," Sarah says to the room.

"Yes ma'am?" Peter jumps at the voice.

"Is anyone in the kitchen?"

"Miss Potts is."

"Can you ask her to bring some pop and a few snacks to my room? Mom put me on lock down," Sarah says generally. "Oh, JARVIS, say hello to Peter Parker."

"Hello Mister Parker. What type of snack would you like?" JARVIS inquires.

"Uh, how about a Pepsi and a bag of chips."

"Very well sir. Miss Potts will be down shortly with them."

"Thanks JARVIS." Sarah motions to her desk. "Have a seat, Peter." Sarah starts up her computer and turns a projector on. It dials in on the space above the desk and displays the computer screen.

"Nice toys," Peter chuckles.

"Tony outfitted my room with all types of gadgets. He spoils me."

"So he's your uncle?" Peter questions as Sarah types in her password.

"Well, sort of. Everyone in the Tower is just one big family so he's Uncle Tony just like Thor is Uncle Thor. What about you? What's your family like?" Sarah asks.

"I'm an orphan. My mom and dad died when I was younger so my Aunt May and Uncle Ben raised me. Uncle Ben was killed so it's just me and Aunt May now." Sarah nods understanding completely. There's a knock on the door and Sarah walks across the room to answer it. Peter turns to see Pepper Potts holding a cardboard box in her arms filled with drinks and snacks.

"She put you on lock down?" Pepper questions. Sarah points at Peter.

"Her version of damage control. We're studying," Sarah explains.

"All right. Here, take this," Pepper says. Sarah easily takes the box in one arm. "Behave. Does Chinese sound good for dinner?"

"Sure."

"Pleasure to meet you Mister…" Pepper says looking at Peter.

"Peter Parker, ma'am."

"Pleasure to meet you Peter." Pepper walks out of the room and Sarah brings the food over. She hand Peter his drink before grabbing her own and pulling out a bag of celery.

"Celery?" Peter scoffs.

"My mom is a health nut." Peter laughs as Sarah brings up a writing document and kicks her feet up on a footrest in her room.

"So, we have to write about isolation," Peter says cautiously.

"Do you have any ideas?" Sarah asks cautiously.

"Not really. I mean, maybe a lone fighter that could be considered isolation. Or maybe some prisoner in the hands of some madman," Peter says randomly.

"Let's skip the second one," Sarah interjects.

"All right. So, do you have any ideas?" Peter asks.

"Trust me, if I wrote this the teacher would need counseling. But maybe like two siblings being cut off and isolated from each other and doing everything they can to get back together," Sarah suggests.

"That's a good idea! What do we want to call the siblings?" Peter asks. Sarah quickly writes the idea on the page and pulls up a baby name site. They cruise through the names for a while.

"Um, I like Petra," Sarah says.

"That's a nice name. So Petra, what's the origin?"

"Well, it's used in Greece, Germany, Scandinavia, and a lot of other countries," Sarah answers looking over the list.

"Well, how about the name Tristan?" Peter suggests pointing to it up on the screen.

"Tristan and Petra, I like it," Sarah agrees. "So, how do we want to write this?"

"Well, what about if they're both in like maze of a building. Like they were punished, so they were separated and they both break out. Then they work toward each other to end their isolation. We could do the story where you write Petra's point of view and I'll write Tristan's point of view. And between the slices of their views we can have an narrator like character comments and observing their struggles, almost like he's monitoring them," Peter says.

"Did you get that from the idea of JARVIS?" Sarah inquires.

"Partly."

"All right, I say it sounds good. Let's give it a shot. First, maybe we should write why they were separated in the first place." So after twenty minutes of brainstorming, they came up with the back story.

Petra and Tristan are the children of a powerful kingpin and live with him in his compound where he carries out his evil doings. The pair discovers something they're not supposed to so their father punishes them by locking them away in different areas of the compound. He locks Tristan in the southern corner in an underground room. He locks Petra in the tallest room in the north corner of the compound. They describe the different rooms causing the visualizations to pop off the page at them. The door opens to reveal Natasha.

"Peter, would you like to stay over for dinner?" Natasha asks.

"I'll have to ask my aunt." Natasha nods and Peter calls. May says it's okay, the trip would be long enough before Peter got home anyway.

"Come on then." The pair follows Natasha upstairs to the dining area where the rest of their makeshift family is.

"Sissy!" Junior laughs and tackles Sarah in a hug.

"Hey bud," Sarah laughs hugging him. "How was your day?"

"I got to play with Dad until he was called away. Is this your study date?" Junior asks.

"Yes, I was curious about that as well," Bruce says from his place at the table.

"Everyone, this is Peter Park, a friend," Sarah says looking at Peter who nods. "We were partnered up for an assignment in English."

"Pleasure to meet a comrade of Sarah's," Thor says with a chuckle.

"Peter, I'm Natasha, Sarah's mother. This is Steve her father. This guy is Steve Junior we just call him Junior. I believe you've already know Tony quite well." Tony has the faint red mark of a slap on his face. "As well as Pepper. That's Thor, Bruce Banner, and Clint."

"I've already had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Barton," Peter says. "He's our substitute." Sarah smirks as that reminds her of something. She walks around to Clint, a stress ball from the kitchen counter in her hand. She throws it at his head.

"I win," she says with a smile.

"Just wait until tomorrow. I'll have you running laps so long," Clint threatens.

"Come on, the food's going to get cold if we continue talking," Pepper says. The whole family sits down and Junior lets Peter take his usual seat.

"So, Peter, tell us more about yourself," Steve says sitting next to Natasha at one end of the table. It had long been decided that Tony and Steve got the ends of the table, no arguing.

"Uh, not much to tell really. Typical teenager I guess. Though I do have a love of photography and science," Peter says. This soon launched a conversation of what Peter photographs with Steve and what type of science from Bruce and Tony. After dinner, the Avengers men continue to chat with Peter as Sarah watches from a distance.

"He seems like a nice kid," Natasha comments.

"Mom."

"I'm with Natasha on this one," Pepper says. "He have a girl?"

"I'm sure he does with how many he hangs around with. Who is taking him home?" Sarah asks handing Junior dishes.

"You are," Natasha says holding out a wallet to Sarah. Sarah opens it and smiles at the driver's license inside with gas money and a debit card. "Tony said you can take anything car out of the garage as long as you promise you won't wreck it." Sarah kisses Natasha and hurries over to Tony who pieces it together quickly. She hugs Tony and he laughs.

"Peter, are you coming over again tomorrow?" Natasha asks.

"I can't. But I'll try to come over the next day," Peter promises.

"You ready to go Peter?" Sarah asks.

"Uh yeah. I should call a cab," Peter says.

"Nope, Sarah's going to take you home. We were waiting on her license to get in," Tony says. "You'll be good with her." Peter glances at Sarah nervously as she pockets her wallet. The pair grabs Peter's things from his room and head downstairs. Once in the parking garage, Sarah looks over each car trying to figure out which one to take.

"The convertible?" Sarah asks Peter.

"It's supposed to rain tonight. How about the Ferrari?" Peter suggests pointing to the car next to the convertible. Sarah nods and grabs the keys off the hook. The two slip in the red Ferrari Scuderia 430.

"Hello Miss Rogers, how may I be of assistance to you today?" JARVIS says from the computer in the car.

"What's the address Peter?" Sarah asks. Peter rattles off his address in Forest Hills and JARVIS maps out the route. Sarah starts the car and she smoothly rolls out of the parking space.

"Stark trusted you with this car?" Peter questions.

"If I wreck it, he'll make me pay for it," Sarah answers. She steers them toward Peter's house. Peter laughs as she has just a little fun with the car before turning onto his street. She parks out front of the house.

"Would you like to meet my Aunt May?" Peter asks.

"Sure." Sarah climbs out and locks the car. They walk up and Aunt May opens the door.

"Peter, you should have called and told me you were coming. Who is this?" Aunt May inquires.

"Sarah Rogers, ma'am," Sarah says with a slight bow of the head. "I'm the reason your nephew was gone this afternoon."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Rogers. Thank you for bringing Peter home safely."

"No problem ma'am. Do you mind if I borrow him later this week to work on our project?" Sarah asks.

"Not a problem dear."

"See you at school Peter. Have a good night, Missus Parker." Sarah walks to her car and starts it up. She glances at the license in her hand. It's SHIELD issue, meaning this license was considered to be an adult's license. Sarah drives back to the Tower easily and parks the car. Walking back to the elevator after returning the keys, she goes up to her room. She showers and crashes on her bed. She picks up her Stark issue computer and works on her assignment for a while. Natasha walks into the house and Sarah looks up from her work.

"You, young lady, should be sleeping," Natasha says. "Clint is going to drive you to school for the next couple of weeks. Just because you have your license doesn't mean you get to drive around all you want. He'll also bring you and Peter here when he's coming over."

"Got it Mom. I'll go to bed," Sarah promises setting the computer down on her footrest. Natasha leaves the room and Sarah puts her gun back under her pillow and takes the teddy bear out of hiding. The sixteen year old falls asleep quickly thinking of Peter Parker. Something was off about that boy.

Later that week, Clint is silent as the two teenagers in the back of his Camaro talk away hurriedly. Peter and Sarah have been getting to know each other much better since that first day. Peter is getting used to the idea of Sarah living with the Avengers and relaxes around them. The kids raced for Sarah's room to finish their project. It's Friday night and Aunt May was coming over for dinner so everyone was going to be on their best behavior. Pepper went with Happy to get May from her house while the kids studied.

"So, that's it for the story," Sarah says adding her last piece and Peter's along with their closing group piece. "I might be able to get one of the adults to look it over for us. Probably Mom."

"At least it's done," Peter chuckles. "Sorry about not being here Tuesday. Detention sucks." Sarah chuckles, she had found out the reason he couldn't be there Tuesday morning.

"It's fine. I got to spend a little time with my brother," Sarah chuckles. They still have an hour before dinner and the Rogers were entertaining May upstairs. "You want to go to the gym?"

"Sure." Peter and Sarah walk down the hall and travel two floors down to arrive at the gym. "Wow." When Sarah said gym, she meant the Avengers gym.

"Yeah, it's nice," Sarah chuckles. "Up for a little basketball?"

"Sure." Peter follows Sara to the small basketball court. They proceed to play one on one for a while, laughing at each other and having fun.

"Sarah," Bruce says from the doorway. The two teenagers turn to see Bruce there. "Did your mother approve of this?"

"No."

"Fine. But don't break anything," Bruce warns. Bruce walks out and Peter looks at Sarah.

"What's his deal?" Peter inquires.

"We might have been disturbing his meditation," Sarah answers. Sarah hadn't told him who Steve, Clint, and Bruce were in the Avengers for the sake of keeping her parentage in place. The Black Widow never got much screen time so Peter didn't comment about her. So it was pretty solid that he didn't know who half of the Avengers were.

"You want to spar?" Sarah asks.

"Sure." They jump into the ring after shedding their shoes. The pair starts to practice with each other. Soon Peter pins Sarah to the mattress smiling down at her.

"Very nicely done," Sarah says before flipping on top of him. "But I might be stronger than you." They start the flipping war until they're both breathing hard. Peter's on top this time and his face is close to Sarah's. He pauses a moment before kissing her softly. Sarah is frozen in shock but the kisses back.

"Miss Rogers, Mister Parker, Miss Romanoff wanted me to inform you dinner is ready," JARVIS says. The two teens break away and put their shoes back on. They do their best to forget the moment as they go upstairs to the dining area.

"What have you two been up to?" Steve inquires when they walk in.

"They were playing basketball downstairs," Bruce answers.

"We finished our project early," Sarah explains to the looks around the room.

"You look like you went ten rounds with a Chitauri," Thor mutters.

"We were competitive," Peter chuckles.

"I wish you two would show that type of enthusiasm during gym class. It wouldn't be so boring," Clint mutters. Sarah lands a well-placed carrot on the tip of Clint's nose. "Dodge ball on Monday." Peter and Sarah laugh at that, he had been told by Coulson no more dodge ball. Not like Clint cared though. His class, his rules.

"So, what was this project about, dear? You never did tell me," Aunt May says.

"I'm curious too," Natasha chuckles.

"Well, we had to write a short story related to a topic," Peter starts to tell them. "Our topic was isolation." The Avengers tense up, not to a level that May notices but Sarah, Peter, Pepper, and Junior do. "So we wrote about two siblings that had been separated and how they were isolated from each other. Sarah wrote the girl's part and I wrote the boy's."

"What were their names?" Natasha inquires.

"Tristan."

"And Petra," Sarah answers. Peter talks a bit more about the story, how the characters use the air ducts to travel about until they can get to the ground level. From there the characters battle their way to each other. Then, Tristan takes the injured Petra in his arms and carries her out of the compound so they're no longer alone, so the isolation ends.

"I'd like to read this story," Natasha says looking pointedly at Sarah.

"Yes Mom. I'll have a copy for you after dinner," Sarah replies softly.

"Excuse me, Mister Stark," a voice says from the doorway. They look up to see Phil there with Fury and Hill. Fury's eyes narrow at Peter. "May we interrupt your dinner?"

"Always room for our friends at SHIELD," Tony says offhandedly.

"Thank you. Sarah, there's a friend of yours we'd like for you to deal with. She's throwing a bit of a temper tantrum downtown and her father is currently in Canada waiting for a transport," Nick says.

"Laura?" Sarah asks.

"Yes."

"Jeez. Hey Tony, do you still have that projector shield thing? I might need it," Sarah mutters.

"You're not seriously going out there, are you?" Aunt May questions.

"Sorry ma'am, but this particular friend of mine can be quite aggressive," Sarah confesses. "I'll be back shortly though." Tony stands up and leads Sarah to the wrist device that can create a shield similar to Steve's. Phil gives Sarah the ride over to downtown where Laura is in the middle of the street hissing at everyone with her claws fully extended.

"Laura," Sarah says softly coming out of the SUV. Laura looks up at her.

"Sarah…" Sarah walks forward with her hands up. "What are you doing here?"

"Laura, I live in town, you really think I wouldn't have heard about it sometime?" Sarah questions.

"Point taken."

"What's wrong Laura?" Sarah walks up closer, the crowd parting to let her through.

"Dad he went to Canada and left me alone. I woke up here in the city in a lab and freaked," Laura stammers. Sarah walks forward as Laura slumps against a car. She looks exhausted.

"You look exhausted. Listen, I'm going to take you to my house and you can stay there until your dad gets here, okay? And you can sleep for a couple of hours." Laura nods.

"Sounds good."

"Duck!" a voice yells. Sarah pulls Laura down and a blast goes off over her head. Spider-Man lands in front of them and shoots web at the attacker. A shield appears on Sarah's wrist and she sends it flying at the attacking men.

"Who are these idiots?" Spider-Man demands.

"They had me," Laura says.

"I recognize that weaponry," Sarah says. "Shit. Shit. Shit!" Sarah starts sending projected shields at the HYDRA agents. Spider-Man charges in and starts to take them out. Phil whips out his gun and attacks in turn. Soon the HYDRA agents are on the ground and SHIELD backup is on the way. Laura slumps against Sarah's back. Sarah looks at her and picks up her friend.

"Hey, Spidey, mind getting the door?" Sarah asks motioning to the SUV. Spider-Man get's the door and Sarah settles in the back seat with the exhausted Laura in her lap. Phil glares at Spider-Man before the Web Slinger takes off. Phil drives them back to the Tower and Sarah carries Laura upstairs.

"Jesus!" Tony shouts as Sarah walks through the living area toward the spare bedroom adjacent to it. "What happened?"

"No big deal," Sarah insists. "Hey, Bruce, mind lending your medical knowledge over here?" Bruce nods and sends Junior to get his bag. Sarah sets Laura down on the bed in the spare room as Peter walks back into the living room. He doesn't act surprised by the sight. Natasha and Pepper keep Aunt May distracted long enough for Bruce to close the door. Bruce checks over Laura and puts her on an IV bag to get liquids back in the teenager.

"When was the last time you ate?" Bruce asks her.

"Don't know, probably the last time I drank too." Bruce looks up at Sarah.

"Go get her some food. Something easy to swallow. Maybe some yogurt or a smoothie," Bruce suggests.

"I'll do both." Sarah leaves the room and whips up the smoothie. She apologizes to Peter and Aunt May before going back in the room to tend to Laura. Laura has a slight fever as she closes her eyes after finishing her meal.

"She'll need some sleep. JARVIS, if there is any change in her status, alert us," Bruce orders.

"Yes sir." Bruce and Sarah leave the room. Sarah puts the dishes in the sink and looks at her clothes. They're a little dirty but fine so she plops down on the couch. Peter soon joins her.

"Hey Tony, can I get one?" Sarah asks motioning to the gadget as she takes it off.

"Ask your parents first," Tony says. She looks at her parents who shake their heads. She sighs and tosses the gadget to Tony. "How'd it work?"

"Like a dream." Fury looks at Sarah before glancing at Peter and turning his attention to Stark.

"SHIELD would be grateful if you housed Laura and her father over night, Stark," Fury says.

"Whatever Fury. Now, out, you've ruined enough of our family night."

"See you at school Phil," Sarah calls to Coulson as he leaves the room with Fury and Maria.

"Who was he?" Aunt May asks.

"Phil is our principal, it's his day job for when there's not a global catastrophe happening," Sarah tells her.

"I think I've had enough excitement for one night," May says. "Would someone call us a cab?"

"Nonsense," Tony says with a smile, "Happy will drive you home, Missus Parker. Peter, perhaps you'd like to come over someday and see what Bruce and I have been working on."

"It would be my pleasure, Mr. Stark."

"Good." Goodbyes are exchanged and Sarah sneaks a kiss to Peter's cheek before he leaves. True to her word, Sarah hands over a copy of the story for Natasha to read over.

"Fury says the quinjet with Laura's father is five minutes out of the city," Tony reports.

"Sarah, who is her father?" Steve asks.

"You'll love him Dad," Sarah insists.

"Well, let's go meet him," Tony says. They use two elevators to go to the quinjet's hanger. The doors of the hanger are just closing as this quinjet lands. The ramp comes down and Sarah hurries toward Logan.

"Sarah!" Logan gasps.

"Hello Logan!" Sarah laughs hugging him. "Laura's upstairs resting right now. Tony is going to let you stay here over night. Laura has a slight fever and we had to give her an IV drip to get her fluids back up."

"What happened?" Logan demands.

"From what Laura was able to tell me, she was taken and woke up in a lab in the city. Looked like HYDRA agents. The ones that Phil didn't kill should be in SHIELD custody right now," Sarah informs him. "Do you really think I'd let her get hurt if I knew about it?"

"No, I know you wouldn't. So, these are the Avengers," Logan chuckles looking at the group. "Dr. Banner."

"Wolverine."

"James Howlett," Steve whispers. Logan looks up and smiles at the sight of Steve. "You haven't aged a day."

"Neither have you, Cap," Logan laughs. The two men shake hands and Pepper gives her a questioning look.

"They served together back in WWII," Sarah explains. "Logan's a mutant and a member of the X-Men." The sound of boots coming down the ramp draws Sarah's attention back to the plane. Sarah smirks at the sight.

"Miss Rogers," Nick Jr. says.

"Well, I didn't expect to see you so soon."

"What about me?" James laughs.

"Come on James, you know I'm always glad to see you," Sarah laughs before tackling James in a hug. James laughs as they fall back onto the ramp.

"I take you all know each other," Natasha says dumbfounded.

"I'm hurt, Black Widow. You don't recognize me," James says looking at Natasha.

"Mom, these men and Laura are the ones I went on that mission with," Sarah states with a laugh.

"So you call her mom?" James asks as Sarah sits on his lap.

"Yeah. She's marked as it on my birth certificate even."

"Winter Soldier," Natasha says in realization.

"Good to see you too, Natasha." Sarah stands up with a hand up from Nick Jr. and pulls James up after her. Steve stares at James as Logan steadies him.

"Bucky," Steve breathes.

"The last time I got called that, it was by Logan, and I had popcorn thrown at me," James chuckles. "Course, your daughter started it by putting in that movie." James walks down the ramp and hugs Steve.

"Long time," Steve whispers.

"Good to see you too, Cap."

"Anyone else lost?" Clint demands.

"Avengers, James Barnes," Sarah says with as smile. "And this nice gentleman is Nick Fury Jr. And you've already met Logan."

"FURY HAD A KID?!" Tony demands.

"I'm having an overload," Bruce mutters.

"Sarah, take me to see Laura." Sarah nods and leads Logan to see his daughter. The man sits down next to Laura's side and doesn't leave until she wakes up the next morning. Steve and James stay up all night catching up. Fury Jr. talks with the Avengers for a while. Sarah, being the only one in on everything, goes to sleep. In the morning, she and Laura talk while Logan talks with Steve. Laura makes her swear to come visit at Xavier's School. After a while, they leave and Sarah has hell to pay for not telling the Avengers details sooner.

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_**Extremely long chapter I know. But I thought it would hold you all over until like next weekend. **_

**_Please, send me some ideas. I have a good buffer amount of chapters between this one and the latest one I finished and I'd like to keep it that way, so I need ideas. This is what, chapter 5? I have chapter 13 done, but 13 is a short one... Anyway, start sending me ideas. So, send me some ideas, please. _**

**_REVIEW PLEASE!_**


	6. Operation Pause School

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE AVENGERS OR HALF THE CHARACTERS IN THIS STORY. MARVEL DOES. I own Sarah Natasha Rogers, SJ Rogers and a few minor characters, that's it.**

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**_THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF THE PART OF THE STORY I KNOW I'M GOING TO GET FLAMES FOR. NO FLAMES, I HAVE A FIRE TRUCK ON STANDBY. ALSO THANK YOU FOR THOSE THAT HAVE FOLLOWED, FAVED, AND REVIEWED!_  
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"Thanks for the ride, Tony," Sarah says climbing out of the convertible three Mondays later. "I'll see you after school."

"Gotcha a present," Tony says holding out a box. "It's cleverly designed so your mother and father won't realize what it is. Your excuse is it's a late birthday present." Sarah opens the boxes and reveals a stylish gold colored bracelet. The bracelet is abnormally long and a little thick giving it form. A stylish red perfectly circular gem sits in the middle with smaller gems around it. Tony presses one of the small gems and the shield appears. He presses another and it disappears. He points to the single white gem.

"The white gem makes it so the shield can't appear and the blue one next to it makes it so the shield can appear at a touch of the smaller red buttons. It also has a GPS tracker in it so if you are ever caught up in trouble, we'll know where you are," Tony explains. He touches the white gem disarming the wristband. "Don't tell your parents."

"Thanks Uncle Tony!" Sarah leans over the car and hugs Tony as she slips it on.

"See you." Tony rolls off and Sarah smiles as she adjusts the wristband and slips her see-through sleeve over it. Walking inside the building, Gwen and Mary Jane are talking down the hallway while watching the front of the school through the windows.

"Hey MJ, hey Gwen," Sarah laughs walking up. The three girls make a triangle so they all see each other fully.

"Mr. Stark brought you to school?" MJ questions as she motions to the convertible tearing out of the parking lot toward the tower. Sarah flinches as Tony nearly wrecks his car while answering a call.

"Yeah, he did."

"How do you have such powerful friends?" Gwen questions. The blond shorter teen next to Sarah clutches her notebook in her arms. Gwen reaches toward Sarah's face and brushes a few strands of hair back behind her hear. The girls were close now and frequently helped each other with hair, makeup, and clothes malfunctions.

"It's complicated." Sarah silently wishes she could explain it to her friends. On one hand, she could, but that would put them in danger. MJ starts to open her mouth about weekend plans for the upcoming weekend when another voice reaches the girls' ears.

"Puny Parker," flash's voice says from down the hallway. Peter, who had just walked in, looks up at Flash. "What's up, Puny Parker?" Flash blocks Peter's escape to the girls. The girls' blood boils at his actions. Flash shoves Peter back when he tries to get around Flash.

"Flash, I am not in the mood today," Peter says. Sarah notes the small bruise showing from under his collar, no doubt another round of Spider-Man heroics last night. After the incident at the science fair (Sarah had gladly tossed Coulson part of her science project, which happened to be a towel, to wrap up in when the block monster had ate his clothes), Sarah had figured out the identities of the super crew.

"Too bad, Parker." Flash pushes him back again when Peter tries to walk around the football star.

"Not again," Gwen growls. The blond makes a move to go rescue Peter, so does Mary Jane.

"I'll deal with it," Sarah insists. They normally take turns saving Peter from Flash, so this wasn't anything new. She walks down the hallway and sets a hand on Flash's shoulder. He turns to look at her and relaxes instantly. "Morning Flash."

"Sarah. I didn't know you were here already," Flash stammers.

"I am. I was actually looking for Peter." Sarah looks at Peter. "Morning Peter. You didn't call me back this weekend and I really wanted to talk to you. My uncle was wondering if you'd like to come over and help him work on one of his science projects." Sarah puts on the best sad face that Pepper taught her.

"Uh, when?" Peter questions. He looks actually sorry that he didn't call her back.

"Let's talk while I put my stuff in my locker, okay?" Peter nods and Sarah takes her hand off Flash's shoulder. She wraps an arm around Peter's shoulders and drags him to her side around Flash so the football player couldn't stop him from leaving again.

"You're friends with Puny Parker?" Flash demands. He looks between the two teenagers with a look of disbelief.

"He's a mean basketball player," Sarah says with a smile. "He's a nice guy Flash. Can you stop picking on him for me?" Flash considers it, continuing to look between Sarah and Peter. "Come on, I'll even go on a date with you if you'd want."

"I'll stop picking on him. And I'd like a date. How about the movies this Friday?" Flash asks. "We can go to dinner before."

"Sounds like a plan, Flash. I'll talk to you later, okay? Come on Peter." Sarah walks away dragging Peter with her.

"How in the hell did you manage that?" Peter demands.

"Not completely sure. Come on, I really do have to talk to you." Gwen and MJ go off to find Harry when his car pulls up. Peter and Sarah walk to her locker and she starts to put her things away.

"So, what did you want to talk about?"

"First off, you owe me for Flash. To repay me, Tony's having an event this Christmas to raise money for charity. You are my date for it," Sarah says looking at Peter. She has the look of "you're not getting out of it" written all over her face.

"ME?!" he yelps. He jumps back a foot but Sarah drags him back to her side.

"Yeah. You're the only one that knows about my family. Secondly, Tony really does want you to come over. He's working on some project and wants a teenager's opinion. Something about a gift for somebody. Anyway, him and Bruce really want you to come over. They were hoping you are open for this weekend," Sarah explains. Peter thinks about his schedule.

"I think I'm open for this weekend."

"That's good." Sarah's phone goes off in her pocket. She fishes it out and notes it's Natasha calling her. She pushes talk and puts it up to her ear. "Hi Mom."

"Hey sweetheart. Listen, we're out on a surprise mission today and it doesn't look like we'll be back before school is done. Tony is throwing a hissy fit; he almost wrecked the convertible when we called. Anyway Pepper is going to come down and pick you up."

"All right Mom. Be safe, okay?" Sarah keeps all the true worry out of her voice.

"You too sweetheart." Natasha's voice is louder as she passes through the quinjet hanger.

"Pass my love on to the others." A tear slides down her face as the worry starts to build in her stomach. When they go on missions, she's always worried but this was different. This is a surprise mission, the type that didn't have much prep time. These were the ones that terrified Sarah.

"Will do." Sarah hangs up and slams her head into the wall adjacent to her locker. Peter sets his hand on her shoulder.

"What is it?" Peter asks. Sarah turns her head, still planted on the wall, to look at Peter.

"Adults got called away for a mission so Pepper has to come pick me up," Sarah says. "Dad was supposed to come get me on his bike today. I was looking forward to it."

"That sucks." Sarah nods and closes her locker door. The pair walks to class where the rest of the gang are. The day goes according to plan until Spanish class, right before lunch. Flash and Sarah are talking about what movie to go see while Peter silently steams about the whole thing.

The class is suddenly interrupted by the sound of a helicopter all too close to the school. The students rush to the window and pull the shades back to reveal a helicopter that lands in front of the window in the parking lot. Sarah stares at the SHIELD logo as does Peter, Sam, Dan, Luke, and Ava. Phil rushes out to meet the helicopter only to be greeted by Fury.

Señora Rosado sends them back to their seats but no one can concentrate now. The door opens and everyone looks up to see Phil standing there.

"Hola clase. Pardon my interruption. Sarah, you're leaving family emergency. You're being taken out for the week. Señora Rosado, would you give Sarah her homework for the week?" Phil asks.

"Of course." Sarah starts to pack her things up and looks at Flash.

"Rain check on the date?" she asks.

"Yeah, no problem. Best wishes to your family," Flash says. Sarah walks up to the teacher's desk and takes her homework. She sends a glance at Peter who gives her a look of worry in return. Phil guides Sarah out into the hallway and walks her toward the nearest exit.

"What's happened?" Sarah demands.

"Fury will explain when you get to the helicarrier. Miss Potts and your brother are already in route." Sarah is quickly passed from Phil's arms to Nick's protective custody. Sarah looks nervously at the helicopter.

"I know you hate them but we have to hurry," Nick insists. Sarah nods and climbs into the vehicle. She closes her eyes as it takes off and waits patiently for them to land at the helicarrier.

"Principal Coulson," Luke says as Phil approaches the table at lunch. MJ, Gwen, and Harry are off helping plan a dance somewhere leaving the superhero squad to eat lunch by themselves.

"Come on." The five of them follow Phil to the detention room where five things looking exactly like them stand.

"Uh, Agent Coulson, what the hell are those?" Sam asks.

"Life model decoys. They'll be replacing you until your mission is over. Hand your bags over to them." the five do and the life model decoys walk out. "We'll give you a full report on anything they learn or do during your mission. You're being sent to the helicarrier for assignment. The Avengers need your help," Phil states. Everyone but Peter moves to take the access to the helicarrier out. Peter moves close to Phil.

"Is this why you had to take Sarah out?" Peter asks.

"Yes. It would have been too suspicious taking all six of you out and leading you to a helicopter in the parking lot." Peter takes his place with the others. The helicopter ride to the helicarrier takes forty-five minutes.

"Oh my god," Pepper cries as Fury breaks the news. The Avengers had gone on a mission. They recovered a barely conscious Tony, who was now in a light coma, and a severely injured Clint Barton. They had also recovered Cap's shield as well. Junior is in shock sitting next to Pepper. Sarah's face is steadily growing redder in anger. Maria comes out of the shadows holding the shield. Fury takes it and walks to Sarah. He holds it out to her.

"We're sending you and a team out after them," Fury states. "Since you're Steve's kid, you should use it." Sarah puts her forearm through the shield and grips the inner strap tightly.

"My suit is at home."

"We have a new one for you. You'll have to wear some of it now to get accustom to it. We're working on tracking where whoever took the Avengers is. Maria, take her to be suited up."

"What about me!" Junior demands.

"You're too young," Fury answers. "In a few years Junior. However, you and Miss Potts will be monitoring Tony and Clint. If they wake up, you need to come get us. Agent Sitwell will take you to them."

Sarah follows Maria to a room in the helicarrier. Maria points to the suit on the bed before leaving to wait outside the door. Sarah removes her clothes and starts to apply the uniform. The clothes are a dark blue with dark red streaks in places. The pants are made of a tougher material that Sarah knows is reinforced with a special metal cloth Tony has been working on. The top half of her uniform consists of a long sleeve shirt made out of similar materials with pockets for gadgets. These pockets are smaller than the ones on her pants. Over the shirt is a heavier duty highly flexible vest with hidden pockets on the inside with lock picks, knives, and other useful small gadgets. A shoulder holster harness is incorporated in the uniform as well. There are two new guns with plasma weapon tech inside of them. She also has two traditional pistols strapped to her legs. She clips the utility belt over her pants. It has smoke bombs, flash bombs, and other distraction gadgets as well as some basic first aid gear inside.

She grabs the last two items. One is the original arm piece Tony had let her use but she can tell this one is made for battle. She slips it on her left arm so when she gives Steve his shield back she can still have one. She grabs the headpiece. It's Stark tech by the look of it. There's a band that slips on so it rests on her forehead. She drops the visor down and reads out a digital screen similar to the ones in Tony's suit but different at the same time. She feels the band open on the outside and light metal armor folds out to protect her head. Nothing is exposed, the metal folding over so the visor is locked firmly in place. She presses in the ear area, locking the metal in but releasing the visor. She pushes the visor up and smiles. She presses the ear lock again and the metal folds up again.

"I could get used to this," she chuckles. She places her clothes and the bracelet Tony had given her in her school bag before exiting the room. Maria leads her down to the conference room where the rest of her team would be meeting her. Fury points at the three pizzas on the conference table.

"Eat, you missed lunch," Fury says. Sarah nods and picks out two pieces for herself. "How do you like the suit?"

"It's nice. Stark tech in it?"

"With some SHIELD tech, but not much. Tony was going to have me hang on to it until you got old enough but I thought you could use it now. The uniform is going to shrink and expand in places. The clothes will form so they are light armor in feel but quite workable," Fury explains. Sarah nods already feelings some of the pieces moving. She had been right on the cloth metal armor after all. Another helicopter lands on the launch pad. "The rest of the team is here. You know them. Should be fun to see their faces."

"It's Peter, Ava, Luke, Sam, and Dan right?" Sarah asks.

"How'd you know?" Fury questions.

"Well, besides the night that Laura was in town and Spidey came to the rescue and Peter showed up at the house just after I got back? I asked Gwen and MJ how long the other four had been there and they told me that they hadn't been there long. Come on, Nick, I'm the daughter of an Avenger and my family is the Avengers." Nick sighs and nods seeing no way to argue that she still shouldn't have been able to figure it out. Speaking of said devils, the door opens to reveal the rest of the team walking in with their masks off.

"Hi everybody," Sarah says as she grabs another piece of pizza to replace the one she had just finished, "Nick bought us pizza. I take it he took you out at lunch time." Peter Parker, a.k.a. Spider-Man stares at her, his mask in his hands. Luke Cage, Power Man, has his glasses pushed up onto the top of his head. His mouth drops considerably at the sight of Sarah. Ava's White Tiger mask is pulled off as well and hanging from her belt. Her eyes widen drastically. Sam's Nova helmet falls to the ground as his body refuses to cooperate. Daniel is the only one that looks reasonable. His mask is off and in his hands. The Iron Fist looks calm.

"I had a feeling we'd be seeing you," Daniel says.

"SHIELD works in mysterious ways," Sarah chuckles. "Nick, do you have anything to drink?"

"Agent," Nick says to the closest agent, "get her a Pepsi."

"Yes sir!" The agent runs off quickly.

"Why is she special?" Sam demands.

"It's complicated," Phil says walking in. "All life model decoys are operating, Director."

"Good. Now, sit team, we have much to discuss." Sarah eats through the whole discussion as they're told what she already knew. Phil sits down next to her and tucks a pair of gloves in her vest pocket.

"How you holding up, kiddo?" Phil inquires.

"I'm good," she answers. "Just want to find them." Phil nods. The discussion ends then and they finish consuming all six pizzas. A frantic Steve Junior runs in the room and directly to Sarah's side.

"Clint's awake and he wants you, Sis. Called for you by name," Junior says. Sarah's chair flies back and she runs after her little brother to the infirmary. Peter is right behind her not even asking for permission. Sarah muscles past the doctors who try to stop her and runs into Clint's room. Sarah can tell Clint's struggling to stay conscious.

"Clint, I'm here," Sarah says taking his uninjured hand.

"My quiver, where is it?" Junior brings it over and Sarah holds it up. There's only one arrow left. "The arrow, message." Sarah takes out the arrow and sees the paper wrapped tightly on it. "Get them back, kiddo," Clint orders.

"I will Clint, promise," Sarah insists.

"Last thing I saw was them going off north. Tony managed a message on that note saying more. They sedated the others, I don't know how. God, hurts to breathe," Clint groans.

"Don't talk Clint," Sarah insists. She lays the quiver down and places her hand on Clint's cheek. "You get better, okay?"

"You be careful, got it? These people, they took us out fast," Clint stammers as he tenses from the pain. "They won't expect you." Sarah nods. "Give 'em hell, kid."

"I will. Sleep Clint." Clint nods and drifts off to sleep. She draws a shaky breath and kisses Clint's forehead.

"Is that Coach Barton?" Sam demands.

"His codename is Hawkeye," Sarah says looking up at the team. She releases Clint's hand and takes the arrow in hand, leaving the quiver at Clint's side. She knows he uses it as a comfort tool. He feels bare without his quiver or bow. She removes the note and starts to read the message.

"What's it say, Sarah?" Phil asks. Sarah growls before throwing the arrow at the wall leaving the arrow embedded in the wall.

"We're up against HYDRA, Baron Zemo, Amora the Enchantress, and Justin Hammer," Sarah tells him holding the paper out to Phil. "This just keeps getting better."

"Sis?" Junior asks hesitantly. "Who are they?"

"HYDRA and Baron Zemo are the bad guys Dad went up against in the war. Amora the Enchantress is Thor's villainess from Asgard. Explains how they took him out. Her magic is powerful. Then Justin Hammer is Tony's enemy. Nearly got him killed because he's such an idiot. Tony pretty much wrecked his company," Sarah tells Junior. "We'll get them back kiddo, promise. Stay here with Clint." Sarah walks out of the room and back to the conference room. Amora is powerful, even if they got the jump on her, she could blast them away easily. They'd need someone with magic of their own to go against her, or Asgardian might. Unfortunately, they didn't have that. Hammer is easy, but his hired hands won't be as easy. Then there's HYDRA. They're fucked.

"What are our odds?" Danny asks.

"Well," Nick says, "not really good."

"Care to explain, Director?" Luke questions.

"Amora is powerful. I've heard many stories about her. We'd need someone with equal magic to even get close to her to take her out. There is a chance we can sway her but that's not likely. With Amora comes Skruge the Executioner. Think of him as a little shorter than the Hulk and with a huge double bladed axe for a weapon. Then Amora can also create minions or trick other people into doing her bidding. That's just the Asgardians," Sarah says as she leans against the table.

"Justin Hammer alone is a weak foe. The idiot can't fight worth a damn. However, he's out of prison that means someone broke him out so he must have some type of work force behind him. He may be one of the worst inventors around but he has money to burn and can hire good hired hands. Keep in mind, he hired Whiplash and Whiplash nearly took out Iron Man," Sarah continues.

"Moving on to HYDRA. Well Baron Zemo isn't in control of everything. He's not a normal human. He's powerful but likes his sword. However he will use a gun as well. He has a huge grudge match with Captain America," Sarah informs them. "HYDRA as a whole doesn't like the Avengers. Iron Man does damage on the equipment they've stolen from him. In general, HYDRA agents are loyal and resilient because they have cause. They're famous saying is 'Cut off one head and two more will grow back' they've had it since the Second World War.

"Overall, our odds really aren't all that good unless we get some more reinforcements in," Sarah explains. Nick looks at Sarah.

"Got anyone in mind?" Nick inquires.

"Well, yeah, you know me Nick. I'm not stupid. I'll need James Barnes, Logan, and Laura. That adds a nice bit of muscle to the team, and they know whom we're going up against too. I don't doubt that stunt with Laura a few weeks ago was a trap to lure Logan out. Also, with your permission, I'd like to go pray to every Asgardian deity I can think of in hopes that one of them will hear me and send someone that can match Amora," Sarah says.

"Why do you need his permission?" Luke asks.

"Bifrost Bridge," Phil answers. "It leaves a mark."

"Let's land in the water and give the Asgardians a little call," Nick says. "Get ready to go out on deck." Sarah nods and walks out of the room, not before grabbing Steve's shield off the ground next to her chair. She slips it onto the mount on the back of her vest and walks down to the door outside. The rest of the team gathers behind her. They feel the helicarrier start its descent.

"Sarah, how'd you get all wrapped up in this?" Ava asks.

"I live with the Avengers," Sarah answers.

"Who's the boy?" Sam asks.

"My brother, Steve Jr." Peter puts his hand on Sarah's shoulder. She looks at him.

"We'll get them back."

"I know." The earpiece in Sarah's ear gives her the clear to go outside. The group walks out and stands in a line on the tarmac. Sarah silently starts praying to ever Asgardian Thor has ever told her about. Then an idea comes to her.

"Excuse my yelling," Sarah tells her crew. She turns her face to the sky. "Heimdall! Heimdall, protector of the Bifrost, I seek help from Asgard. It concerns Prince Thor!" Clouds gather in the air above the carrier. The others back up a few spaces though Sarah stays still. Phil and Fury walk out onto the deck and watch as the Bifrost opens to reveal a woman with long black hair and a shield.

"Lady Sif," Sarah says bowing to the warrior.

"So Thor has told you of me," Sif says.

"Yes milady. I seek help from Asgard," Sarah continues. "Amora the Enchantress has teamed up with a number of Midgardian villains. They captured the four of the Avengers and put the other two out of commission. We have no person with magic great enough to rival Amora and from Thor's tales I fear we won't be able to get close enough to her to take her out."

"Aye, that is true. The All-Father will allow two Midgardians to come to Asgard and talk to him. I warn you now, he may have to think overnight on his decision," Amora tells her.

"Phil, Sarah, go with Lady Sif," Fury orders. "I trust the two of you can plea our case."

"Yes sir," Sarah says. Phil walks up to join Sarah.

"The more we wait the more hurt the Avengers could become," Luke protests.

"Would you rather us get killed or captured?" Peter counters. "We'll be waiting for your return, Sarah, Coulson." Sif motions for Phil and Sarah to join her in the circle on the tarmac.

"Heimdall, bring us to Asgard," Sif orders. The Bifrost comes down and the three of them disappear.

"Her parents are going to kill you, sir," Peter says looking at Fury.

"Don't I know it, Parker. All right, let's see what else we can learn from Stark's suit. Parker, since you know tech and Jarvis knows you, would you mind trying to access the suit for us?" Fury inquires.

"Only if I observe. I'm not downloading data without Tony's permission," Peter states. Fury nods and they go back inside. They stay on the water so when the Phil and Sarah return from Asgard, they're not in the air.

Far away from the helicarrier, in a remote section of some mountain range, three Avengers stir from their slumber.

"Ow," Natasha groans rolling her head side to side.

"Easy Tasha. Don't move too much," Steve says. Natasha looks up to see Steve chained to a chair across the room from her. The chains have an odd green glow to them. She looks down and sees she's in the same situation. Steve motions to the other side of the room. Natasha looks to see a sedated Bruce Banner in Hulk proof restraints hanging between the ceiling and blocks holding his feet together. Next to him on the wall is Thor, bound by the green glowing chains. He looks up at Steve and Natasha. His hammer is on the floor surrounded by green magic. He must have been holding it until someone forced him to release it.

"What happened? Where's Tony and Clint?" Natasha demands.

"Tony and Clint were too hurt to move," Steve answers. "They left them behind. I bet SHIELD has them by now. As for what happened, we got ganged up on by HYDRA, Hammer, and two Asgardians."

"Amora is the one keeping us here," Thor informs the pair. "Her magic is strong. I'm struggling to remain awake her spell is catching up to me."

"Sleep, Asgardian," Baron Zemo's voice drifts from the speakers. "You shall be spending some quality time here." Gas infiltrates the room with an ounce of magic in it. Soon the three Avengers are fast asleep again.

In Asgard, the trio walks out of the portal easily and is greeted by Heimdall and Fandral. Fandral motions to the two chariots waiting for them.

"Who rides with whom?" Sarah asks.

"Boys and girls," Sif states. Sif offers Sarah a hand up onto the chariot, which Sarah takes. Fandral and Phil climb on the other chariot with ease. Sarah holds the edge of the chariot as Sif drives them through Asgard. Sarah and Phil stare around at its beauty, never having seen such a thing as this. They receive odd looks from the Asgardians they pass but are too distracted to notice them. Sif and Fandral lead them to the throne room where Odin is waiting with Frigga at his side. Hogun and Volstagg are also there. Sarah swallows at the power in the room.

"Welcome to Asgard, Son of Coul and Daughter of Steve," Odin says. "Your prayers, young Sarah, have reached each of us in this room. My son is in trouble according to you. Will you inform us of what has happened?" Sarah swallows again glancing at the Asgardians.

"As I am sure you know, All-Father, Thor is part of the Avengers. This morning they went on a mission. Two returned, badly injured. Thor and three others were captured. Amora the Enchantress is among those who took the Avengers. Thor has told me many stories about Asgardians and the battles. He told me that Amora's magic is formidable. We have no one on our rescue team that can battle magic as high as hers. So I ask of you, All-Father, to give us aid in rescuing the Avengers," Sarah says strongly hiding her nervousness.

"Amora's magic is formidable. I would go myself, but I cannot leave Asgard unprotected. The Avengers should be safe for now. The enemy will not expect you to come to Asgard for help. I will think over who might be of aid to you," Odin states. "Until I have reached such a decision, you will remain in Asgard. Warrior Sif, I trust that you can entertain young Sarah. Son of Coul, you will remain with Sarah, will you not?"

"Yes sir."

"Then Fandral shall accompany the three of you. I will summon you as soon as I have come to a decision." The humans bow and follow Sif and Fandral out of the hall. They enter one of the palace's gardens and Sif motions for them to explore. Sarah plops down on a bench and rests her head in her hands.

"The Avengers are tough people, Lady Sarah," Fandral says. "I am sure they are fine."

"Sir," Sarah says looking at Fandral, "the enemy put one of the team in a coma. The other is severely injured and halfway to a coma. My parents are among the captured. I think I can worry." Sif lays her hand on Sarah's shoulder.

"Thor has told me many stories of Earth. He told me of your parents and of you as well. He told me you are strong for one so young. Everything will turn out all right," Sif insists. Sarah nods and rubs her tired eyes. She can practically hear Junior crying at Clint's side. He just got his family a few months ago and now he may lose most of it. Sarah feels guilty for not being there.

"Sarah, if you think for one second that leaving your brother behind on the carrier was a bad idea, get it out of your head," Phil says firmly. "This was your idea. You should be here, working to get them back. Not waiting on the carrier."

"What is this carrier you speak of?" Fandral asks.

"It is a ship," Sif answers.

"Not quite," Sarah pipes up. "The carrier is primarily a ship in disguise. But it can also fly as well. We call it a helicarrier because it works like a helicopter."

"What's a helicopter?" Sif asks.

"In its most basic form it is a hull with a tail and four blades on the top. The blades cause air to push down causing the helicopter to fly," Sarah continues. "The helicarrier works like that but on a larger scale. The blades are contained in attachments on the side directing the air. And there are four of the large turbines. That's what we call the blade formations." Sarah sighs slapping her head. "If you come back to Midgard with us I will show you." The two Asgardians nod. Phil watches the pond in the garden. Fandral sits down on one of the benches. Sif spars with Sarah for a bit before the blond lays down under a tree and attempts to sleep.

The next thing Sarah knows, Sif is telling her to wake up and she's in a bed. Phil is by the doorway waiting. Sarah gets up and follows Sif and Phil to the throne room where a larger group than last time awaits.

"Now," Odin says as Phil and Sarah stand off to one side, "I have come to my decision." It is early morning, perhaps four or five in the morning on Earth. "Sif will return to Midgard with the mortals along with one other. Bring him in." The guards that were already in tense as the doors open to the throne room. From the hallway comes Loki surrounded by guards. Phil tenses but Sarah takes his hand.

"Easy Phil," Sarah says softly. Loki walks toward Odin but is forced to stop right next to Sarah and Phil.

"Loki, my stepson," Odin says. Sarah notices how at stepson Loki relaxes slightly. Apparently, call him a stepchild causes the god not to lash out. "You will return to Midgard with the mortal and Sif. There, you will aid them in taking down Amora the Enchantress and anyone else responsible for taking the Avengers. Your magic is to be used only for that purpose and healing people. With permission from her," Odin says looking at Sarah, "I will bind you to the control of young Sarah."

"All-Father I must protest. Sarah may be a warrior but she is still a child," Phil protests.

"By bind what do you mean?" Sarah inquires.

"From the time you leave this throne room to the time you return from your mission to this room, Loki will have to do as you say, he may not go outside of, what's the mortal measurement, 100 feet, of you. He must protect those you tell him to and harm those you tell him to. He must also ensure you live, because if you die before he is returned to Asgard, he will be transported back here that moment unless attempting to revive you," Odin explains. "By this magic, he would not be able to betray the Avengers or go against you."

"Sarah don't," Phil starts but Sarah cuts him off.

"I accept. We will need his help," Sarah says quickly. Loki stares at the child that he is to be bounded to for the remainder of the mission.

"Do you understand what is about to happen, Loki?" Odin questions.

"Yes All-Father. I will serve the mortal, but only her. I refuse to take orders from Director Fury," Loki states.

"He can just order me," Sarah points out.

"I'd rather get them from you than from that man." Odin stands and walks forward. Phil restrains himself as Odin sets a hand on Sarah and Loki's shoulders. He starts saying something so fast that no one in the room is able to understand what he is saying. However, it is evident that the magic is taking hold because a magical chain develops between Sarah and Loki. When Odin is done, he releases his hold on the two and looks at Sarah.

"He is now bound to you. Return to the Bifrost and rescue the Avengers. Luck be with you. If you perish, a spot in Valhalla will be yours to claim," Odin states.

"Thank you, All-Father." Odin nods and a guard brings forth a simple staff. Loki takes the staff to conduct his magic and serve as a partial weapon. The four leave the room and board chariots for the Bifrost.

"Your full name?" Loki asks Sarah as Sif drives the chariot team. Sarah looks up at Loki.

"Sarah Rogers," she answers.

"Ah, so you are the daughter of the Captain."

"I'm his clone," Sarah answers. "However, he and Natasha treat me like their daughter, as they treat my brother as their son, not as a clone."

"I am surprised you agreed," Loki states.

"I trust you about as far as I can throw you, Loki," Sarah states. "How easy will it be for you to take out the Enchantress?"

"She and I will have a short fight, I assure you." Sif brings the chariot to a halt as Fandral does the same behind them.

"Heimdall, open the Bifrost back to where they came from," Sif says motioning to Sarah and Phil.

"Loki is going?" Heimdall questions.

"My magic is bound to the child," Loki says motioning to Sarah. "I am hers to control."

"Ignore his words, young one. Loki is the Liesmith."

"I know," Sarah replies dryly. Heimdall opens the Bifrost and the four of them walk through it. They arrive back on the helicarrier. The door opens to reveal the team, Fury, and Maria coming out. Logan, James, and Laura are among the team now.

"What is he doing here?" Fury demands.

"He is our magic user," Phil answers. "Until we get the Avengers back safely, he's bound to Sarah. He can't go outside of 100 feet from her. Which should be interesting when they go on the rescue."

"You trust him?" Fury demands looking at Sarah.

"He has to follow my orders," Sarah replies. "Come on Loki, I'm hungry. The kitchen up Nick?"

"Breakfast is in Banner's lab."

"Great, I'm starved." Loki sticks close to Sarah's side on the way through the helicarrier. He sits down in one chair as Sarah dishes up a helping of food for breakfast. "Did you eat before you came, Loki?" Sarah asks.

"No." Sarah dishes up a plate and puts it in front of him.

"Then you should eat. We need you at full strength after all."

"I will not eat Midgardian slop."

"Would you like me to make that an order?" Loki glares at her a moment before eating. The rest of the team comes in and takes food from the tables as well.

"So, what did we miss?" Sarah asks sitting next to Loki who had become uncomfortable when the rest of the team came in the room.

"We have a solid lead," James says. "We managed to get a signal on Natasha's wristbands for a few minutes. Looks like we're headed to a mountain range in South America. Justin Hammer has a place down there. If they're using his place then it should be easy to get into. If it's a HYDRA base, we might have more problems," James confesses. Sarah nods leaning back in her chair some. Loki catches her chair before it can fall over.

"Thanks," she says sitting all the way up.

"Game plan?" Peter inquires.

"We figure stake the base out. Get a read on the place. Infiltrate the base. And bust them out," Laura answers. The door to the room opens and Junior runs to Sarah. Sarah is nearly toppled over again by the force the kid hits her with but Loki again catches her.

"Sissy!" Junior cries. Pepper appears in the doorway. She stares at Loki and Sif for a moment before looking at Sarah.

"What didn't you guys tell me?" Sarah demands.

"Tony's arc reactor is malfunctioning and the people here don't have the tech to recreate it," Pepper answers. "We can't find one at the Tower either."

"Loki, could you fix it until Tony makes a new one?" Sarah asks.

"I could cast an enchantment, yes. Though I think Mr. Stark would kill you for it later," Loki remarks.

"Pepper, with your permission," Sarah says looking at Pepper, "I'll have Loki cast an enchantment."

"Please, I can't lose him," Pepper stammers. Junior releases her and lets her stand up. Sarah and Loki leave the room with Pepper. They enter Tony's room and Pepper reveals the arc. There is indeed something wrong with it. Loki calls magic to his hands and puts his fingertips on the arc reactor. The reactor fixes itself.

"That enchantment will last until Stark installs a new one," Loki states. "Still say he's going to kill you, Miss Rogers."

"And I'll have Hulk throw him out the window if he does," Pepper says. "I never thought I'd be saying this but, thank you Loki. Thank you Sarah." Sarah nods and walks out of the room. She checks on Clint before her and Loki rejoin the others. Fury is waiting when they arrive.

"Did you fix the arc reactor?" Peter asks.

"For now. Tony will have to make a new one to replace it," Sarah says.

"Well, now that that's done, suit up. Wheels up in thirty," Fury states.

"Wheels up?" Sif asks.

"That means we're getting in a plane and flying. The rescue mission is about to start," Sarah explains. "Come on Loki. I need to freshen up. See you all at the jet. Which hanger?"

"Main," Fury answers. "I'll be waiting there for you." Sarah walks out and goes to the room that her things were in. Loki looks around the room bored.

"You can sit, you know?" Sarah says looking at the god. "I'll be a little bit." She heads into the bathroom and closes the door. She showers and brushes her teeth. Towel drying her hair, she puts her uniform back on and walks out into the room. Loki looks up at her from the bed where he's lying.

"What is that ridiculous thing on your head?" Loki inquires.

"A helmet," Sarah answers. "Tony made it so it collapses for when I'm not in battle or needing to conceal my identity."

"It looks completely ridiculous. What color is that anyway?"

"I think midnight blue with burgundy or blood red streaks, I'm not sure," Sarah says offhandedly pulling her gloves on. "Come on; let's go meet the others at the jet."

"You do realize I could just transport us over there right?" Loki inquires.

"We need the supplies in the jet. Besides, we'll probably stake the place out for 24 hours. We can't go in without knowing something." Loki gets up as Sarah heads for the door. They walk out into the hallway and head through the halls.

"So why do you trust me enough to bind yourself to me but everyone else hates me?" Loki inquires.

"Well, I only heard stories of what you did. Thor also told me that you did things because your family was messed up. You were adopted, never told you were until a few years ago, looked down upon, fell in the arms of a group of manipulative bastards, used as a rag doll by the Hulk, and then taken to Asgard for punishment. I mean, I thought my life was fucked up," Sarah laughs. She brushes her hair back and glares at two agents that try to pull their guns on Loki.

"Your life is 'fucked up' how?" Loki inquires.

"I'm a genetic experiment. Created by replicating Captain America, only they made me a girl since most of the boys were extremely volatile. I was held for about 15 and a half years, if you don't count the pregnancy, by a group of evil sadistic bastards that wanted to use me for evil. The Avengers saved me and I was revealed to be Cap's kid. So they took me. Then we found out about Junior and saved him. He got treated better than I ever did but the memories still hurt," Sarah explains. "I don't know why I'm telling you this. You probably really don't give a damn." They get in an elevator and go down to the hanger. They meet Nick at the ramp.

"Your turn to drive kid," Nick says.

"No one touches Loki, got it?" Sarah says to Nick who nods. Loki sits down in the jet as Sarah starts prep work for the jet. The rest of the crew arrives.

"Okay, Loki's here, where's Sarah?" Danny asks.

"In front, idiot," Sarah says looking back at him from the cockpit. "Didn't I tell you I'm a SHIELD certified pilot?"

"You skipped that little fact, Sarah," Peter says. Sif sits down next to Loki who glances at her cautiously. Sarah knows Loki is more comfortable with Sif there between him and the crew.

"James are you coming up here or what?" Sarah demands as Barnes jabbers away to Logan. Laura climbs up front with her and Sarah smiles. The ramp closes and the jet is pushed up to the carrier's level. The coordinates are programmed in the computer so Sarah just follows the flight plan.

"Can this thing go any faster?" Ava demands.

"You really shouldn't have said that," James says diving for a seat.

"Seat belts!" Sarah orders. Everyone has just enough time before Sarah kicks the plane into the fastest speed it has.

"Well," Laura says from the front after Sarah's slowed down, "we're in the general area but there's a lot of mountains." Sarah kicks the cloaking tech on and circles. Loki gets up from his seat and stand in the doorway to the cockpit. He closes his eyes and concentrates looking for Asgardian magic. He points to a section of the mountain.

"Bringing up scans," Sarah says. With a quick scan of the area, they learn he was right. They park near to the base and lower the ramp.

"Now what?" Sam asks.

"Watch," Logan says pointing to the entrance. They watch as the mountain seems to disappear. "Cloaking tech. HYDRA."

"We're fucked," Dan decides.

"All right, Loki, you can do that transporting thingy right?" Sarah asks to which the god nods. "All right, I got a plan. Peter, let's see what type of trinkets we can make up quickly to learn more about the inside of that base."

* * *

_**Yes randomly Loki shows up but Amora the Enchantress is strong and Thor is like the only one that's ever gotten out of her magic before so I thought I'd have Loki come along and help. Give me some opinions on what type of relationship Loki should have with the new characters he's never interacted with before. **_

_**Before anyone yells at me about a human going to Asgard, it's happened in the comics and the TV shows along with the lore so get off my back. **_

**_SEND ME PLOT BUNNIES PLEASE!_**

**_REVIEW PLEASE!_**


	7. Assault

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE AVENGERS OR HALF THE CHARACTERS IN THIS STORY. MARVEL DOES. I own Sarah Natasha Rogers, SJ Rogers and a few minor characters, that's it.**

* * *

Between Sarah and Peter, they manage to find three spy cameras in the entire plane after twenty minutes of searching. Sarah makes a mental note to tell Fury to make a kit of those mandatory for every plane. The rest of the group watches the base from the ledge while Sarah and Peter fix the cameras to send their signals to the plane. Loki stands at the bottom of the ramp glancing between the base and the two teenagers before going to stand next to Sif. The pair then works on how to get the cameras inside the base.

"What about a specialize delivery system?" Peter asks. "We have any of Hawkeye's arrows?" Sarah digs through the plane and finds a spare kit; Fury must have ordered the last plane Hawkeye had used, because Hawkeye always has spares in his planes. Peter rigs three heads with breakaway tech. He then applies a sticky substance to the back to one of them and creates small spider like creatures out of the other two. Sarah makes another mental note about Peter's technology knowledge before taking the cameras to the computer station and connecting to the Stark Industries Mainframe. She uploads JARVIS into the two spider spy cameras so he can control the two while Sarah gets the feed through her helmet and the crew can watch in the plane.

"How close do we have to be?" Peter asks Sarah as she grabs the arrows and the bow. The little cameras are all ready for delivery. Sarah doesn't look at Peter as she slings slides her father's shield onto her back and gets ready to leave.

"I can do it from a spot down the mountain a little ways. From here, I can't see inside the base doors," Sarah answers. "I'll have Loki take me down there." Peter growls causing Sarah to look up at him. Her eyes are unreadable to Peter; Peter decides she has been spending too much time around Natasha managing to pick up her emotion hiding gifts. "Peter, I know you don't trust him but he's an ally for now."

"He'll betray you the second he can." Peter's hands land on her shoulders to hold her in place. She looks him in the eyes. Holding Sarah down is a very bad idea. One of Flash's buddies had learned that a few months ago. Peter releases her quickly. "Sarah, I'm worried about you."

"I know." Sarah walks out of the jet and grabs Loki's shoulder. The god looks down at her as she scans the mountain side again to find the outcrop she wants. She points down to a small outcrop down the mountain. "Can you pop you and me over there?"

"What are you going to do?" Dan asks. Daniel's Iron Fist mask is on now; he's ready for battle if it comes to it. However, at the moment he's worried about what stupidity his friend might get into.

"I'm no Hawkeye," Sarah says holding up the bow and arrows, "but I can still get these spy bots on the inside for us. I'll be back in no time and they'll be none the wiser." Loki takes her shoulder and teleports her down to the cliff before anyone can argue differently. Loki holds two of the arrows while Sarah notches the one. Sarah gauges the distance, the wind, and the drop between her position to the target she has in mind.

"I could teleport us to the entrance," Loki offers. The god simply wants to get this over with faster. He hated seeing his brother no matter the circumstances, being around a group of people that gladly wanted him dead wasn't on his top ten circumstances either.

"And get our cover blown," Sarah responds with a roll of the eyes. "Do you want to go in there blind 'cause I don't." She glances back at Loki who has a face of mild confusion than acceptance.

"Point taken." Sarah draws the string back and aims for the far wall of the garage bay. She breathes in and holds before releasing the arrow and breathing out. Using her visor, she tracks the camera's status and watches as it sticks itself to the high point of the wall. She watches the screen pop up on her visor and smiles at the results. She puts her visor up and Loki hands her the next arrow. This arrow disassembles as it flies. The camera skids across the garage floor and into the hallway. Sarah watches as the little robot scurries away in search of the Avengers. The last arrow she fires at an open window. This arrow disassembles and the robot flies through the open window and lands on the other side of a bed. Sarah brings her visor down and watches the readings.

"What do you see?" Loki inquires.

"Garage camera shows minimal security. The one in the hall shows a beefed up security. And the one through that window is currently going into an office where it's about to hack the computer," Sarah answers. "I think we can return to the others now." Loki takes her back and the group looks at them.

"How'd it go?" Ava asks.

"JARVIS bring the feeds up on the quinjet's computer system," Sarah orders motioning for the group to follow them into the quinjet. The computer comes to life and the three footages are displayed.

"Nice shots," Logan chuckles while clapping the teen on the back.

"Hawkeye still beats me though," Sarah mutters with a mixture of pride and envy in her voice. Over fifteen lessons from the man and she still can't beat him!

"We need a few hours of observation. If there's a pattern, we can work a plan into that pattern. If not we improvise. Sarah, Loki, go watch the front of the base for now. Spidey, Laura, Sif, watch the video feed. Power Man and Iron Fist go check above where the base is. See if there's an entrance or an air vent up there. Nova, White Tiger, do the same below. Logan and I will go check out their detection equipment," James says. He nods to each person, even Loki before leaving. Loki and Sarah go down the hill a little ways, both armed with earpieces (much to Loki's chagrin but James insisted), and observe the front entrance from a small outcrop of rocks.

"You are much like your father," Loki says as Sarah brings her visor down to use as binoculars. The god is sitting on her right side hidden by a number of large rock debris from up the mountain. Sarah lies on the rock to stay hidden and monitors the garage. She doesn't even look at the god when he starts to talk, she wants to see the action. "Very resilient," Loki continues. "Capable of taking and giving orders. Not many can do both. And I believe you are one of a few women I've met that shows true chivalry from what I've seen. Coming to a foreign realm to get help so you can get your family back. Not caring what it would take to get that help. Rare qualities."

"Quit trying to suck up," Sarah growls. "You and I both know you wouldn't be here if Odin hadn't made you come. You don't care what happens to Thor. You disowned him and the rest of your Asgardian family. You hate him."

"How dare you!" Loki snarls. The Asgardian turns hostile on Sarah but she doesn't care.

"How dare I? My family is all adopted," Sarah counters glaring up and back at him. "The only ones I'm actually related to are Steve and Steve Junior, because my DNA is almost a 100% match to theirs. Natasha adopted me, made me her daughter. She treats me just like she would an actual daughter. Steve Junior and me, we never met until a few months ago, but we are family. Tony, he's like my uncle or annoying fun older brother. He spoils me and enjoys having me around to test out his toys. Bruce is the uncle that comes and bails me out of trouble while giving me wisdom. Clint is like a brother or really playful uncle. He helps me have fun every day. Thor, he's family. Like an brother with his understanding of Midgard, so yeah, he's a brother, a really older brother. He's always there when I need help. Pepper is my mom when Natasha's not around. Phil's my first uncle; he raised me for six months by himself. Nick is like my grandpa for crying out loud. He's as old as Dad is if not older. He spoils me a bit yeah, but he's always there when I really need him. They are my family even though we're not blood.

"And yet you, who have lived more lives than I, disown the people that raised you because they didn't tell you that you were adopted. They did it because they didn't want you to do exactly what you did, Loki! Family is family, whether blood or otherwise," Sarah hisses. Loki is silent as Sarah turns back toward the building and brings her visor back down. "However, as you are Thor's brother, I suppose you're a family member as well, like the distant stepbrother that hates his family. Or better yet the one that never calls or even sends birthday cards, but a family member none the less."

"You'd think of me like that?" Loki says astounded. He knows there's quite a difference between Midgardian families and Asgardian families but he didn't know the whole extent. The child, one that bound herself to him so she could save her family, would think of him as family. His jaw is slightly unhinged at the thought.

"Not if you keep pushing the subject." The smirk on her face catches Loki's eye. Yes, she has a good heart. She's the type to be possessive of her family and guard them with her life. Just as Loki goes to tell her that perhaps she is right, Sarah freezes up quickly. Her whole body tenses and her hands start to shake. Loki at first thinks it's a medical problem, but from her face, he knows that's not right.

"What is it?" Loki demands as he kneels closer to her, peering around the rocks at the entrance.

"JARVIS hard line to Fury now," Sarah orders ignoring Loki. The line opens up and shuts off communications with the rest of the group.

"Fury here, what is it?" Fury inquires.

"Sir, do you have eyes on any of Peter's friends and family?"

"On his aunt, Gwen and Harry," Fury answers. "We can't locate Mary Jane."

"I found her, sir."

"Oh God. Tell me Parker is not watching the footage."

"He is sir."

"How soon are you from acting?"

"You'll have to ask James that. He's taken charge."

"James here," James says from his link as Fury adds it to the conversation.

"They have a friend of Parker's. How soon can you be in the building?" Fury asks.

"Sir, we just started observation not an hour ago," James protests.

"I give your fourteen hours. If you don't have a plan by then, I'm putting Rogers in charge and letting her have Loki go on a rampage inside. Got it?" Fury's voice makes it a promise, not a threat. James and Sarah swallow hard.

"Yes sir!" Fury hangs up. "Sarah, does Peter know?"

"Yeah," Sarah admits as she watches from a camera installed in the jet as Peter falls to the ground to prevent from smashing something. "James, there's something else you should know." JARVIS brings up the video feed from the robot she had shot through the window. She's temporarily disconnected it from the quinjet. "I've located the Avengers. And, sir," Sarah whispers as her voice breaks, "they're beating up Cap pretty bad." The tears start to build up in the corners of her eyes. She can't look away from the screen. Another punch has her dad doubled over in his chair. Blood from Steve's mouth drips onto the floor. Natasha is crying for him. They force Steve to sit up again, this time they cut a nice little star in his forearm before treating him like a punching bag again.

"The others?" James asks.

"Natasha's pretty beaten up too. The Enchantress is forcing Thor to watch and threatening to have him bite off his tongue if he doesn't be quiet. They have Bruce sedated. They just told Zemo about Mary Jane. They're bringing her in. They tied her to a chair but they're leaving the room for now." Sarah feels Loki's hand settle on her shoulder as the blond lets the tears run down her eyes.

"Stay put. If you notice any patterns with the guards, let us know," James orders.

"Yes sir." The comm. link goes silent. "JARVIS mute my comm. link and allow footage back at the quinjet."

"Yes ma'am." Sarah sits up and takes the visor off. The tears stream down her face. The image of her dad and mom like that, she can't take it. She feels armored arms wrap around her and turns into his body. Loki, though resenting the human race, can't help but feel some of her pain. He leans the teenager into his body and holds her upright with one arm. With his free hand, he rests it on her head and strokes her hair gently. It reminds him of how he used to treat Hela before she reached maturity. His daughter had had many nightmares growing up; Loki would sit with her and hold her close as she cried into his neck. It is no different now. This teenager needs a shoulder to cry on, to get away from the nightmare. And he'd take her father's place until he was back.

Across equator, Tony's eyes flutter open in the infirmary of the helicarrier. He stares up at the ceiling for a few moments getting his ground. The billionaire looks around the room to see Pepper curled up next to him on the bed.

"Pepper," Tony says causing the numb assistant to look up at him, "how'd you get here?"

"Fury. He got me and the kids here right after they found you," she informs him. Pepper sits up to look at Tony better and judge his reactions.

"What about the others?" Tony asks. He's groggy and tired but he has a team to think of, last thing he remembered was writing that note on a piece of paper from the plane and wrapping it around the arrow in Clint's quiver before holding the Archer upright in his arms.

"Clint's sedated for now. He woke up for a little bit but the pain is pretty bad so he's under from the pain medication. There's a rescue team out after the others," Pepper tells him. Pepper runs her hand up and down Tony's arm as the billionaire thinks over everything. "You need a new arc reactor. We mended it for now but it won't last long." Tony look down at the arc reactor, his precious baby that he let few people touch. There's a faint glow of green energy in the crack through the middle. Green, green energy, Tony's mind is whirling in an instant. "Magic."

"Who did it?" Tony demands. Pepper gets off the bed afraid that he'll take his anger out on her. She doesn't look at her boss and lover; she doesn't want to see his face when she tells him. "Pepper, who performed magic on me?"

"Loki," Phil says from the doorway, "on Sarah's orders. For the moment, Loki has to do as Sarah tells him thanks to Odin's intervention. His enchantment will last long enough for you to create a new reactor. What do you need?" The look on Phil's face says he's not happy about it either but is going along with it. Tony thinks for a moment on what he needs.

"There's a second mini-arc reactor back at the Tower. I hid it so no one could find it. There's two pieces. The one is in my room it's the chest piece. The other is the power source; it's hidden in another spot. I suppose it's not at the Tower now. Sarah, she has a gold bracelet about four inches long. The power source is in there. Where is she?"

"On the mission, but I think she left her bracelet here, she took the battle one out in the field," Phil answers. Tony's whole body goes ridged and his eyes widen to the size of saucers. "What?"

"Phil, that one has maybe enough of a charge for five shields the size of Steve's. Steve damaged it the last time he used it." Phil's phone is instantly in his hand to contact the team. Tony sits up and starts to get dressed without bothering for the curtain. His niece is in danger and he'd be damned if he's about to let her get hurt because he didn't repair something he didn't think anyone would be using any time soon. Phil leads Tony to the room where Sarah's things are. They pull the bracelet out and Tony reveals the hidden secondary power source. There's an even smaller power source hidden behind that. A quinjet with the reactor is coming back to the helicarrier as they head toward a lab. Pepper wheels the Iron Man pod suit with her to the lab where Tony waits for his new reactor.

"Stark, good to see you up and around," Fury says as he walks into the lab. Fury leans against one of the tables to watch the scientist.

"Yeah, well, you know me," Tony mutters. The courier with his reactor comes in and Tony quickly goes about making the new reactor. Tony puts the new core together as the others watch on. "Phil, where is the dark blue and red version of the battle shield gauntlet?" Tony glances at the agent as the man recalls where the gauntlet might be.

"In my office," Phil recalls.

"Get it."

"Tony, once that thing is on her arm, it won't come off," Phil protests.

"Would you rather she dies battling?" Tony demands. His head snaps up to look at the man, Tony's eyes read worry and murder all in one. "If you won't get it, I will." Phil walks out of the room to get the gauntlet. Phil figures it would be better to have a gauntlet permanently attached to Sarah's arm than have her die from not having a shield at all. Tony finishes his new arc reactor and sets it down on the table. "Pepper, please." Pepper changes the reactor out for him without a second thought. Tony takes the old one and smashes the casing. Getting to the core, he checks to see how much power it has. He grabs the gold bracelet and pulls out the secondary power source. Phil returns with the gauntlet and Tony takes the top cover off. He quickly places both power sources inside the power compartment with the original power source to kick start it and fires it up. He checks to make sure the gauntlet works before putting it on the table.

"Where are they?" Tony demands.

"South America," Pepper answers.

"Here's the coordinates," Phil says handing Tony a piece of paper. "They're moving out in thirty minutes to free everyone. The guard change is happening."

"It'll take me five hours to get there," Tony states. "That means four and a half hours of them not having me there. Damn it. How often do they do guard changes?" Tony demands.

"Every four hours."

"Can you get them to put it off another four hours Phil? That means I'd only be a half an hour out to help them," Tony says quickly. Phil calls on the phone and angrily yells at whoever is on the other line. Phil holds the phone out to Tony.

"Tony, why do we have to wait for you?" James demands.

"Sarah's gauntlet, the one she's wearing that's silver. It has enough charge for five shields the size of Steve's. I have a replacement one. I can be there in five hours, I swear," Tony says quickly as he puts the silver bracelets on to dawn his suit of armor. "Please, Barnes. I have a replacement gauntlet."

"Fine. We'll move out at the next guard shift instead. But you have to answer to Sarah and Spidey when this is all over," James growls and hangs up with a click. Tony rolls his eyes as he dawns the suit. He places the gauntlet in the metal backpack on this suit. He quickly kisses Pepper and runs to the nearest hanger to take off.

"We probably should have had him cleared from medical first," Pepper remarks.

"They'll have his room ready when he gets back though," Phil points out. The two of them look at each other with a shrug. They walk out of the lab and go to check on SJ and Clint.

Four and a half hours later, Sarah and Loki disappear from the group after receiving orders. They reappear in the control room where Sarah goes about looping the security system footage and diverting all personnel from the halls they needed. Loki watches the people leave as Sarah pops in her earpiece. Sarah clicks the earpiece to communicate with the rest of the team.

"All clear, come in the vent," Sarah says. They had found a vent and sent the hall spider camera up it and back down until it met the one from the holding room. Laura, Logan, James, and Peter would come in that way while the others did a direct assault on the front of the base. Naturally, Zemo and the Enchantress would remain with the Avengers. Sarah and Loki open the control room door and walk out of the room. They head down the hall where they meet the rest of the team. Peter squeezes Sarah's shoulder as the teenager's attitude changes drastically. It goes from Sarah Rogers to soldier Rogers, ready to get her family back.

"Let's get going," James says. They head down the hallways knocking out every person they came across that hadn't evacuated as ordered. The alarm went off as the others attacked the front. That's about as good as the whole plan goes for the rest of the day.

"DUCK!" Sarah shouts and knocks Peter close to the wall while bracing for the bullet fire with the shield. When the shots stopped long enough, she fires two shots with the plasma pistol disabling the Hammer drone down the hallway. James, standing directly behind Sarah, looks at his subordinate.

"I call the next one," James growls.

"Then you get your ass up in front, soldier boy," Logan growls. James doesn't move upfront. The look on Sarah's face discourages him from doing that. Sarah continues walking toward the room with Peter and Loki flanking her. A sudden roar causes Logan to freeze up. A powerful punch hits Sarah and Loki causing the pair to fly backwards down the hallway. They slam into the wall hard as the Abomination appears in the hallway.

"Great, another Hulk," Logan growls. The claws on Logan's fists extend and he cracks his neck sizing up the Abomination. "I got him. You guys go ahead. Sarah, are you okay?" He doesn't hear a response but sees Loki carrying the teenager forward. The blond is shaking her head trying to get some of her senses back.

"She's a little dazed at the moment," Loki explains. Loki sets the teenager on her feet and steadies her for a brief moment. Sarah nods to Logan that's she's fine settling the man's nerves. Logan runs forward hitting Abomination with his whole body causing Abomination to tumble back into the wall and they tumble down into a vehicle bay.

"Who's going to battle Skruge now?" Peter asks. Logan was going to battle Skruge since Logan can take on the Hulk they figured he could handle Skruge.

"Whoever gets to him first," Laura replies with a look of _are-you-seriously-that-stupid_. They continue walking through the hallways. The HYDRA and Hammer hired idiots are easily defeated. Peter tries the door for the room but it is lock and it is solid metal, a metal that Laura can't cut through. Sarah takes out the plasma pistol and shoots the lock off. Holstering it, she develops one of the energy shields and forces it into the crack too narrow for the regular shield. Using Steve's shield on the corner of the wall to push the energy shield off the wall causing the door to open, Sarah forces the door open. The energy shield disappears and Sarah pushes the door back.

"I thought you said they couldn't get in here!" Justin Hammer yells at Baron Zemo.

"They shouldn't have been able to," Zemo says. He watches as Sarah steps through, the helmet folding down over her face to prepare for the fight to come. Amora's eyes widen when Loki steps through the doorway and to Sarah's side. Laura, James, and Peter step through and glare at their opponents.

"I call Zemo," Sarah snarls adjusting her dad's shield on her arm. "My family has a score to settle with him."

"Amora," Loki says with a sinister smile. "Sarah, orders?"

"Defeat her," Sarah answers.

"Laura, you and me want to take on Skruge there?" James asks. "Spidey can knock out Hammer and free the Avengers."

"Why me?" Peter demands.

"Because the rest of us have family grudges with these idiots," Laura answers.

"Attack," James growls loud enough that his crew hears. Sarah charges and slams her shield into Zemo's head. While Zemo stumbles back with his chest exposed, she raises it above her head and crashes it down into his chest. She shoves him up against the nearest wall and slams the shield up into his head.

"You fight dirty for one so young," Zemo says as he draws his sword and forces her back. "Why is that?"

"I wasn't raised properly." She grips the leather straps inside tighter. Steve had told her of his encounters with Zemo, they weren't as numerous as the ones with the Red Skull but she still knew he was going to be a tough opponent.

"A family score you have with me? Well, I take it since you have the Captain's shield you are family to him. What are you? Some great granddaughter?" Zemo demands. Sarah's visor slides up for a moment to reveal those piercing blue eyes.

"I'm his daughter, and you pissed off the wrong kid," Sarah snarls before sliding the visor down and charging in. Zemo's sword slices through the cloth on her calves but she barely reacts as she brings the shield down on his back causing him to fall to his hands and knees. She slams the shield repeatedly into his back. She screeches as she feels a needle hit her leg. She grabs the syringe and pulls it out. Zemo laughs as she stumbles back a little. Sarah shakes her head as her vision blurs for a moment.

"That little serum there, it would kill most people, except for super soldiers. I developed it for the Captain, wanted to use it on him today until you got here. The more you move the fast it works. I wonder how long it will take until you slip into a coma for the rest of eternity. Or will it just kill you? I never got to test it on your father," Zemo laughs. Sarah grabs his collar and slams him against the wall. She blinks hard as she struggles to remain upright.

"An antidote!" Sarah barks in anger.

"Never saw fit to make one." Sarah looks the syringe in her hand before slipping it in a cargo pocket. She grabs her plasma pistol. "Going to kill me, child?"

"No, but this sure as hell will hurt." Sarah pulls the trigger and Zemo falls to the ground unconscious. Sarah throws cuffs on him and goes over to her dad. Peter is off helping Mary Jane get untied. Loki broke the enchantment on the chains so Sarah breaks the chains. Steve looks up at her as she slips the shield on his arm.

"Hi, Dad, get up," Sarah says struggling to haul him to his feet. Steve takes a few moments in Sarah's arms to get his balance before going to help James and Laura. Sarah breaks Natasha's chains and the super spy kisses Sarah's helmet before borrowing a plasma pistol and shooting Zemo a few more times. Sarah limps over to Thor who is fighting his chains. The Asgardian is furious and a growing lust for battle is developing within the god.

"My hammer! Grab my hammer! I will it!" Thor bellows. Sarah doesn't think twice about what he says. She reaches down and grabs Thor's Hammer. She lifts it and smashes the chains on Thor's ankles and wrists. She takes the hammer and slams them into Bruce's restraints. She tosses Thor the hammer before catching Bruce on her back. She staggers slightly but adjusts the weight. The scientist's arms fall around her neck loosely. Sarah grabs him under his knees to hold him up. The scientist's head rests on her left shoulder softly. His curly hair is barely visible on the edge of her visor. Peter starts toward her holding Mary Jane's hand as the others finish off Amora and Skruge. James drags Zemo through the halls while Laura drags Hammer. Thor hauls Skruge away while Loki leads Amora through the halls by her arm. Loki looks at Sarah as she brings up the rear of the group.

"Sarah," Loki says softly with his eyes softening a moment. He had glimpsed her demanding something of Zemo but didn't catch what. He notes her eyes, the paleness of her skin, her muscles quivering, and the general exhaustion in the girl.

"'M fine," she insists. He makes a note to stay close to her to protect her. They make it down to the vehicle bay where Logan is ensuring Abomination won't be waking up any time soon. They make their way out to the main bay where the others are fighting against an army of HYDRA and Hammer idiots. Sarah uses her last four shields defending Bruce and Mary Jane at the doorway.

"Sarah!" Tony yells coming flying through the bay. He lands next to Sarah as she struggles to stay upright. Tony grabs the gauntlet from his backpack and supports her with one arm. "I brought you something. But listen, if you put this on, it's going to bond to your body and you won't be able to remove it unless it's broken off," Tony explains quickly holding out a new gauntlet. Sarah pushes her right sleeve up and motions for Tony to put the gauntlet on. He slips it on and she groans as it bonds to her skin. She nods in approval and steps away from Tony.

"Thanks Tony. Now, kick some ass." Sarah plants a shield in the ground protecting Bruce and Mary Jane. She leaps out into the fight and slams a shield over a HYDRA agent's head. She draws her second plasma gun and aims at the robots that soon single her out. Two shots hit her but she ignores them after falling to one knee. Loki is close by sending spells everywhere trying to get to Sarah. He can see her slowing down and becoming a liability. He could take out everything in one hit but he'd be severely weakened if he did it with this many opponents. Sarah takes another hit and hits the ground. The blond stubbornly gets up again, blood coming from cuts and scorches on her skin. Loki calculates the distance between her, the doctor, and Mary Jane. If he can get her to Bruce and wake Bruce, he'd be able to treat her. With that plan set, he slams a fist into a robot's chest and rips out the core. His staff transforms in his hand to have blades on the end. Though Loki doesn't like fighting, he realizes this could be fun.

Across the room, Iron Fist and Power Man tag team five HYDRA agents. Power Man throws Iron Fist through the group causing it to split in two. Power Man slams his fist into the back of one man before grabbing another by the ankles and throwing him like he was in track and field. Iron Fist uses his martial arts knowledge to injure the other three HYDRA agents before using their pressure points to knock them out.

White Tiger claws her way through the army. She has various bruises and cuts but continues to fight. She slashes through the gun of one Hammer goon before slamming her fist into the man's jaw. She smiles and tosses him at the man Power Man was swing around. Nova blasts a line through the army. He catches Spider-Man as the Wall-Crawler flies through the air with no control. He launches Spider-Man at the nearest big robot and Spidey rips the robot's insides out.

Iron Man blasts away the robots swarming Mary Jane and Bruce before using the unibeam to knock out the closest amount of enemy to him. Steve's shield flies by his face and bounces off a truck to hit an opponent about to strike Laura in the head with a torque wrench. Laura slices through the weapons of five guys before smashing their heads together. Logan does likewise across the room to save the overwhelmed Black Widow. Sif jumps across the room and strikes down an enemy about to shoot Ava in the back. The Goddess of War is having a bit too much fun in this battle.

Thor sends bolts of lightning down on the enemy massing around James. He lands and swings his mighty hammer causing HYDRA goons to fly up into the wall. James uses Thor's shoulders as a jumping platform and tackles a particularly large Hammer idiot. An energy shield flies by his face and strikes the gun out of a HYDRA goon. He looks over to see Sarah barely standing but still fighting. She staggers from another blow. The blond shakes her head viciously before slamming her fist into another robot. James sees Loki trying to reach the teenager. The look on Loki's face says that Sarah is in deep trouble. Tony flies over his head toward Bruce and Mary Jane.

"STARK! GET SARAH OUT OF HERE!" James yells. This catches Steve's attention and he turns to see his daughter stumbling again. Steve slams a HYDRA agent into the wall and dashes toward his daughter.

"THAT IS IT!" Loki roars. Telekinetic energy **_(yes he has that, look it up)_** flies out from him throwing all the enemies into the walls. Magic binds them and he finally makes the last three feet to Sarah's side. The blond is struggling to breathe as she stumbles toward Loki so Loki removes the helmet like he had seen her do. She gasps for air still struggling. She grips his shirt and falls into him. Her eyes search his face frantically, begging for his help. He sees the trust in her eyes.

"Pocket, syringe," Sarah stammers. "Can't breathe." Loki lays her down onto the ground and grabs searches her pockets. Iron Man lands next to them and Loki hands him the syringe.

"She told me it was in her pocket," Loki states. Sarah's chest heaves as Steve runs across the room over unconscious forms. Loki puts his hand on her chest and feels her irregular heart beat. "Damn it. I must use my magic." Loki's hands fill with magic and he touches Sarah's vest where her heart is and in the gut area. Loki concentrates and the green magic surrounds her body. Sarah stops gasping for air her breathing slowing down drastically. She reaches out and grabs Loki's arm with weak fingers.

"Thank you," she whispers. She smiles softly at him, her eyelids starting to drop as the poison spread.

"We'll find a cure," Loki promises. Tony kneels at her head and takes the visor from the ground. He reads the information from it, hoping to get a timeline of the spread of the poison.

"Zemo," she says, "did it." Loki nods and Steve reaches them. The Avenger falls to his knees next to his daughter. Even with the mask on, Steve's fear is clear on his face. She reaches for Steve with her other hand and Steve takes it. "Hey Dad. Rough week, eh?"

"Shush, you need to save your energy," Steve insists.

"So tired," she murmurs her eyelids drooping even more. The last thing Steve wants is for his little girl to fall asleep.

"Sarah, hey, baby girl stay with us," Steve begs ripping his mask off. "Sarah, please stay awake." He leans down, kisses her forehead, and brushes her hair back to reveal those blue eyes he loves. Sarah's eyes close and her head rests in Steve's hand.

"She sleeps for now," Loki says. "We must get her to help. I can keep her alive for now, but I don't know how long that will be."

"I'll carry her," Steve insists.

"No, I need to keep my hands on her to keep the enchantment working. Uh, Miss Logan, you know how to use the quinjet, yes?" Laura nods already seeing where this is going. "Please bring it down here so we can move her into it. Nova, would you give her a ride up?" Loki asks the teenager.

"Can't you transport her up?" Ava asks.

"No, my magic is trained from the fight. If I transport us up there, I'm not sure how long my magic would last. Please, do as I ask," Loki pleads. Nova grabs Laura around the waist and flies up to the jet. They hear it power up and Luke makes a path toward the outside of the base. Steve looks up at Loki in shock. "I am bound to your daughter to keep her alive, Captain. Right now, you have to trust me. If I take my hands off her, she will die."

"Loki speaks the truth, Steve," Thor says. "I can see the binding myself." Steve reads Loki's eyes for a moment before nodding. Once the quinjet has landed, Tony helps move Sarah into Steve's arms while Loki keeps his hands on the same spot. With the drain he has, he can't risk using the enchantment and not having his hands on her to amplify the spell. Loki keeps in step with Steve and manages to keep his hands on her when Steve sets her down. Spider-Man picks the exhausted Mary Jane up while Tony carries Bruce back up to the jet.

Once everyone is secured, a quinjet arrives to take over the scene. Natasha takes control of the quinjet and pilots it at top speed back to the helicarrier. The helicarrier would meet them over the Caribbean cutting their travel time down to two and a half hours. Tony runs tests using the Iron Man armor but finds no cure for the poison with the information that the gauntlet can give him. When they land, Tony's out of the armor with the syringe in his hand ready to run to the lab reserved for the Avengers.

"Stretcher!" James yells once the ramp is down. A medic rolls the stretcher up and Steve moves Sarah onto it. Tony is already out of the jet and headed to the lab to find an antidote. Loki never breaks contact from Sarah as they move through the hallways. Pepper somehow manages to hold back Junior when he sees his sister.

"SARAH!" he screams falling to the ground and crying.

"We need blood samples now," James orders. "Get them to Tony Stark. Loki, how's your magic holding up?"

"As long as I don't fall asleep I should be able to keep her alive until a cure is found," Loki answers. Tony runs into the room as techs start to draw her blood.

"Where's Nick?" Tony demands.

"I'm here. What happened?" Nick questions.

"Zemo injected her with something," Steve stammers.

"Nick, I need help with this antidote. The liquid in the syringe, it disintegrated about contact with the air. I fear the blood samples will have a similar result. And with Bruce still out of commission, I need people mine and Bruce's level helping here," Tony stammers.

"Who should we call?" Fury counters.

"Charles and Hank would be able to help," Logan states looking at Fury. "They've both got degrees in biophysics. Charles also has a degree in genetics. They know more about humans and advanced beings than most people. Charles could also see if Sarah's mentally all here." Fury nods.

"Anyone else?"

"Reed Richards and Hank Pym," the tired voice of Bruce Banner says from the doorway. The doctor is in a wheel chair and being pushed by a kind nurse. "I may not be of much help like this, but they can help."

"Bruce, how do you feel?" Natasha inquires.

"Like I've gone ten rounds with the Hulk myself. I'll be taking another nap in a few. How are her vitals?" Bruce inquires.

"Steady for now. Loki has her steady," Steve tells him.

"Yes, I can see that. Come on Tony, you and I should at least see if the blood samples last in open air before the help get here," Bruce mutters. Tony follows Bruce and the nurse out. Pepper hauls a sobbing teenager through the door. Natasha takes her son in her arms and he clings to her.

"Is she going to be okay, Mom?" Junior asks. The blond haired boy's eyes never stray from his sister's unmoving face.

"Now Steven Rogers Jr., you know better than to ever doubt you sister," Natasha scorns him. In truth, she's just as worried as he is. She smoothes his hair down and allows him to bury his face in her shoulder to cry.

"Sarah," Mary Jane whispers as she and Spider-Man get there with the others. "I don't understand. How is she wrapped up in all of this?"

"She's Captain America and Black Widow's daughter, MJ," Peter says taking his mask off. "That's how she knows Tony. Uh, Tiger, watch MJ for me. I'm going to see if I can lend a hand to Tony or Bruce. They might just need someone with a steady hand." Other than that answer, the other one was he couldn't see Sarah like that. He walks away and into the lab. An hour later, the X-Men Blackbird lands and is brought into the hold. From there, Charles Xavier, using mechanized legs to walk, Hank McCoy, Reed Richards, and Henry Pym quickly hurry from the plane with Scott Summers, Rogue, Susan Storm, and Janet van Dyne-Pym tailing them.

"Thank you all for coming," Nick says greeting them at the elevator.

"What is this about an Avenger down?" Hank inquires.

"It's better if Nick just shows us, Hank," Charles says looking at Fury. They walk down the halls to a cleared out medical room that normally housed five patients but now only houses one and a myriad of watchful friends and family.

"Charles," Logan says without looking up. Luke and Danny, who had been standing at the end of Sarah's bed, move off to the sides. Natasha is sitting on a small day bed that had been brought from Maria Hill's room with Junior curled up on her lap and Laura curled up on a ball at her feet. Logan stands on the far side of Loki steadying the god. Steve is sitting on the bed with his fingers running through his daughter's hair. There's an obvious grimace on the girl's face.

"My god," Susan breathes. "What happened to her?"

"Baron Zemo injected her with something," Luke explains. "Loki is the only thing keeping her alive at the moment."

"Fury, take me to the lab where Stark is," Reed orders.

"Same," Pym and Hank say.

"I will read her mind, Director, but only with consent from her parents," Charles states.

"I'd like to know if she's in pain," Natasha whispers.

"Please, Professor," Steve whispers. Charles nods and motions for Scott to grab him a chair.

"I will need her laid down straight and the bed moved so I can get behind her. It is best for these types of readings," Charles explains. Steve moves the bed forward some and Scott puts the chair there. Charles sits down and puts his hands on both sides of her head.

"Laura," Rogue whispers walking forward. Laura looks at Rogue with heartbreak on her face.

"She kept fighting even though she knew it would speed it up," Laura cries. Rogue catches her 'stepsister' as they had come to call each other before she could hit the ground.

"Anything Charles?" Logan asks.

"I'm about to get past her mental wall. It will be a few moments." Charles concentrates and slips through the wall. He's met by sobs and howls of pain. Sarah's mind is nothing but darkness.

"Sarah Rogers," Charles says softly in her mind, "I am Professor Charles Xavier, a friend of Logan and Laura's. I'm here to help you. Will you come out to speak to me?"

"I want my dad," Sarah's voice cries. The darkness lightens and Charles can see where they are now. It's her bedroom and the teenager is curled up around a teddy bear. "I just want to see my parents again. Can I go home now?"

"We're working on it," Charles answers. "Can I sit with you?"

"Sure." Charles walks forward and sits down next to her.

"What's keeping you here?" he asks.

"I tried to leave, but the wall is too thick. It keeps closing in but then this green light will chase it away. It's hard to breathe." Charles can see black marks up her skin from where the poison is traveling. "He said it would put me in a coma, not kill me. I just want to wake up."

"I know. We're working on an antidote. Your mother wants to know if you're in pain." The counselor in Charles takes over as he examines the teenager in front of him.

"It burns some. It comes and goes," she murmurs. "Did everyone get out all right? Is everyone safe?"

"They are. They're all waiting for you to wake up," Charles chuckles setting a hand on Sarah's knee. She flinches and Charles sees bruises flash against her skin. "Where'd you get those bruises?"

"They keep coming back, the ghosts. They're mad that I caused their deaths. They're punishing me, like they used to," Sarah whimpers. "Can you make them go away?" Charles watches amazed as the teenager flashes away to reveal a small scared child before flashing again to reveal a teenager again. The child had been a mirror image of the teenage Sarah. The eyes were still the same blue color, the hair was still short and blond, and had the same clothes on.

"They won't hurt you," Charles insists. He plants as many happy thoughts as he can in her head. "I need to go see your family now. But I promise I'll be back."

"Okay." Charles smiles and walks away back out of her head. He sits up straight and slouches in the chair.

"What is it?" Logan asks.

"Mister Rogers, do you realize your daughter needs therapy, badly?" Charles inquires. "She's fine for now. She can feel the poison, but it comes and goes. She knows Loki is keeping her alive. She described it as the walls coming in but his magic chasing it off. I also believe this serum is causing her to be tortured by her bad memories coming back to haunt her. Right now she had the mental stability of a six year old."

"Can someone go see how the scientists are doing? My magic is starting to wane," Loki states. Luke and Danny walk out of the room to get an update. A wheelchair is heard and they turn to see Hawkeye coming down the hall with a nurse pushing him. After a few minutes rolling down the long corridor they reach the room. He rolls up next to Sarah on Loki's other side.

"Please tell me we got the bastard that did this," Clint begs.

"He's in the morgue. Seems he was killed in the battle," James says. "Appeared a Hammer drone shot Zemo quite a few times with a plasma weapon." Charles makes no sign that he knows that's a lie.

"God, why'd she have to come," Steve murmurs kissing Sarah's forehead. "I told Fury no more missions."

"You know as well as everyone else in this room that knows her that she would have come after you either way, Steve," Logan counters. "She would have called Laura and Laura would have stolen the jet. And Laura probably would have roped a couple of X-Men in. Sarah probably would have gotten Peter too. She would have found a way."

"She was planning on stealing the Mark II Rescue Armor from Mr. Stark's armory," Charles informs them.

"Does not surprise me," Clint mutters. Suddenly the blond lurches about on the bed. Her back arches and her mouth opens in a silent scream. Loki has trouble keeping the spell going.

"What's going on?!" Steve demands as he attempts to pin his daughter down.

"I don't know," Loki answers. "Thor, I need Amora now. My magic alone won't be enough and we have little choice but to use her." Thor motions for Sif to come with him and they go to the prison cell where Amora is. Sif holds a dagger to Amora's throat and leads the Enchantress through the halls. Back in the room, Sarah's eyes snap open and she seeks out her father's face. She grabs his arm tightly, her arm tenses as she grabs him seeking out his help. Steve can tell by her face that she's struggling to breathe.

"You'll be okay sweetie." Sarah's other arm wraps around Loki's arm causing the god to tense as he tries to keep his hands on her. She grips his skin firmly, her eyes staring at his, tears streaming down her face, and silent screams from her throat. Her chest convulses as she struggles to breathe. She gasps for air. Amora returns with Thor and Sif then. The goddess stares at Sarah for a few moments.

"Help Loki," Thor orders. Amora places her hand on the site of the injection. After a few moments, Sarah's body relaxes and falls onto the bed limply. Her breathing slows down and her back falls back onto the bed. Her hands release their death grips on Steve and Loki. She closes her mouth and stares up at Steve silently. A single new tear comes from the corner of her eye and runs down her face. Her eyes flutter for a second before slipping shut. Natasha cries at the sight.

"What the hell just happened?" Scott demands.

"Loki, was it your magic?" James asks.

"I may have diminished it but not to that extent. Professor Xavier, I must ask you to reenter her mind and see if something has changed," Loki says. Charles looks at Steve who nods. He places his hands around her head again and digs into her mind. The wall is even thicker now. He presses through and his mental form stumbles through the wall. The room is too bright and screams fill his ears. He looks around and sees why. The Sarah inside of her mind is bound in black chains to the wall with black forms poking and prodding her. Charles sends a telepathic wave at them causing them to disappear for a time.

"Sarah," Charles says catching the teenager as the chains disappear. She's limp in his arms as he lays her on the floor and props her head up on his knees. "Miss Rogers, do you hear me?"

"So tired," she murmurs moving her head side to side slowly. "Just want to give up. So tired."

"Give up what?'" Charles inquires. Sarah opens her eyes and looks up at Charles.

"Fighting. The pain, it hurts so bad. I'm so exhausted. But they promise me that if I stop fighting it'll only hurt a little bit more and then it won't hurt at all," Sarah murmurs. "Can I stop now?" That small child flashes before him before returning to the teenager.

"Well, I suppose that is up to you but I know a group of people that would miss you quite badly if you left," Charles tells her. "Your family is waiting for you out there. And so are your friends."

"Not all of them. I mean, Bruce and Tony are trying to fix me so that's fine. But the one other person I want by my side, he's not there. He gave up on me," Sarah cries.

"Do you speak of Mr. Parker?"

"Yeah." The child takes the place of teenage Sarah. The child has dark dirt covered cheeks with streaks of tears now.

"I think Peter just can't stand to see you in such pain," Charles answers. "If you want me too, I will go try to get him to join your side. But if I do it, you have to promise me something."

"What?"

"That you'll keep fighting until you get better." Sarah nods and Charles smiles. "I shall go get young Peter now then. Will you be okay here for now?" Sarah sits up and the room starts to change. She's sitting on rooftop looking out at the desert. The darkness is far off now.

"Yeah, I'll be okay, Mr. Xavier," Sarah insists. The child Sarah looks at Charles before changing into the teenager. She stands and looks at Charles with an air of curiosity and trust. "I tried to give up but you guys wouldn't let me." The teenager smiles softly as she steps toward the ledge and sits next to it. She looks back at him over her shoulder. Her hair frames her face, giving an air of hope and security there. The sunset keeping the darkness at bay frames the girl.

"They love you that much. I will hopefully bring Peter back to your room soon." Xavier leaves the teenager to the confines of her own mind and pulls away back in the room.

"What is it Professor?" Scott asks.

"She just wants to give up," Charles answers. "The attack, that was her giving up and the poison overtaking her body. However, I've convinced her for now to continue fighting. Excuse me a moment, there's someone I have to retrieve for her. A promise." Charles stands up and starts to walk out of the room. The Spider would return if Charles has to use SJ's guilty look on the boy. Mary Jane jumps to her feet and meets Charles at the door.

"I'm coming with you," Mary Jane says walking behind him through the hall. Charles nods and walks toward the lab. The doors open and the pair walk through to see Tony and Reed reading something on the computer, Hank and Pym are testing something else, Bruce is sleeping off the sedative, and Peter is staring at the floor with Luke and Danny trying to get him to come back to the room.

"Charles, has something happened?" Hank inquires.

"Yes, Sarah almost slipped from us but we've stabilized her for now. They had to bring in Amora the Enchantress to help keep the enchantment up," Charles explains.

"What do you mean slipped?" Tony demands. The line between worry and rage is erased by Tony as he thinks about Sarah leaving them for good. The mental image he gets isn't pretty.

"She tried to give up causing the poison to go through her body faster. However, she's back fighting for now. I promised her I'd return someone to the room," Charles says looking at Peter. "Mr. Parker, she'd like for you to be there."

"I can't."

"I don't think you understand," Charles continues, "she can feel and hear everything right now. She knows you're not there. She thinks you've given up on her. I've been inside her mind with her, she gave up because one of the people that she wants there isn't there, and that person is you. I promised her I would bring you back with me."

"I can't see her!" Peter shouts at him. "I can't see her like that! If I had helped her with Zemo, if I hadn't done what James had told me, I could have helped her and we wouldn't be in this mess! I failed her and I can't look at her! She's my friend and I couldn't see that she was obviously in no condition to be fighting. I can't face her." Peter turns away from the group. Sarah was becoming a good friend, one of his best, and he had failed to protect her.

"Petey," MJ says coming toward him. She kneels in front of Peter and puts her hand on the side of Peter's face to force the teen to look at her. "Pete, she wants you because she trusts you. I've seen the two of you at school. She trusted you with the secret about her family. She wants you there because you mean so much to her. Please Peter."

"No."

"Peter, what about if it was only you, her, Loki and Amora?" Charles asks. "Could you at least talk to her for a few moments? Let her know you haven't given up on her?" Peter thinks about it for a moment.

"You'll never get the Avengers to leave her side," Peter remarks.

"But I can," Tony says. "Power Man, Iron Fist, let's go clear that room out for a little bit. We can get you five minutes Peter." Peter looks up at him and nods. Peter follows slowly allowing enough time for everyone to get out. Peter walks in and the two Asgardians ignore him via the earplugs in their ears. Peter sits down on the edge of the bed and puts his hand on the side of Sarah's face. He watches her for a solid minute without looking away.

"Sarah, I haven't given up on you," Peter insists. "I just can't face you. I was so worried about MJ that I never thought you might need help too. Then in the battle, I should have seen you weren't at the top of your game. It just hurts so much to see you in all this pain. I'm so sorry." Peter looks away for a moment, tears fall from his face, and he swallows loudly as he struggles to keep calm. "You're my friend, and if I could, I would take your place. Just, get better, okay? I'm going to leave now, but Sarah, know that I never gave up on you, ever. And I never will." Peter feels something curl around his wrist. He looks down to see her fingers wrapped tightly there. "So you really can hear me." Peter leans down and kisses her softly. "Get better, okay?" The fingers tighten and release three times before releasing. Peter leaves the room happier and the Avengers reenter. Thor takes the earplugs out of Loki's ears.

"How is she?" Thor asks Loki. Loki looks at his stepbrother with good news in his heart.

"She's fighting again," Loki answers with a soft smile, "harder than she has since the beginning. She's not giving up any time soon." That is welcome news to everyone in the room. Peter walks back to the lab where the four scientists are working and Bruce is stirring. Hours past and Peter stares at the screens trying to see anything.

"Stark! Isolate that!" Pym shouts pointing at the screen. Tony does and Pym brings it up on another screen. "There's the key!"

"Yes, I don't see why we didn't see it earlier," Hank agrees.

"Now we have to synthesis the antidote and inject it without the liquid making contact with the air," Reed says.

"You have the antidote?" Peter asks excitedly.

"Yes. It will take a few hours to create but we'll have it soon. Bruce, care to give Reed and Pym a hand formulating it while McCoy and I prepare the syringe for the medicine?" Tony asks Bruce.

"It would be my pleasure."

"Can I help Tony?" Peter begs.

"Of course. Come on, we have to make a vacuum chamber to prepare the syringe in," Tony says excitedly. The scientists split off into groups to create the different parts.

"Good news," Charles says back in the medical room, "it seems the men have found the cure. It will be a few hours before its ready though."

"Oh thank God," James breathes in relief. He slumps down on the ground in the room with relief.

"You hear that sis? You're going to be all better again," Junior whispers stroking his sister's hand. Natasha and Steve hug tightly. The feeling in the room is nothing but happiness.

* * *

_**So, yeah, I thought Loki might feel just a little bit sad for Sarah about her parents so I made him act like a father toward her for a few minutes. I mean, she can see him as like an uncle or brother. And in my family, well, I was raised by my brothers for a few years since they were always home so I saw the younger of them as like a second dad to me for a while. Even if he tormented me like any other brother would.**_

**_And sorry for the overflow of other characters from X-Men, Fantastic Four, and other Marvel universes, I wanted to show that they're in there too. _**

**_Uh... I forgot what else I was going to say. OH YEAH! Sorry it took so long to update. Long week, then I had a friend over last night, that morning I was hunting (youth weekend don't ask), Friday I had that same friend over, today the internet was down until Dad fixed it, and like this week was homecoming so between homework and other things, I was busy. Sorry. Also, Agent Yaoi, I will not send Loki to you. You'd do horrible things to him._**

**_SEND ME PLOT BUNNIES PLEASE!_**

**_REVIEW PLEASE!_**


	8. Things Are Changing

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE AVENGERS OR HALF THE CHARACTERS IN THIS STORY. MARVEL DOES. I own Sarah Natasha Rogers, SJ Rogers and a few minor characters, that's it.**

* * *

In the Sarah's medical room, the place is eerily quiet as everyone sleeps on various chairs, couches, and cots. There's only one person awake right now and that's Peter Parker. The Spider is hanging upside down from the ceiling watching everyone. IT had been ten hours since they administered the antidote, and 38 hours before that was when Sarah had been injected. Peter glances at the clock, 5:00 am. Make that eleven hours. It hadn't felt like two days since the fight. In reality, they had moved on the base at 4 o'clock in the morning. The siege lasted until about 4:45 am. Then they had taken two and a half hours to get here. So the serum research hadn't started until about 7:15 that morning. It had taken 32 hours and 15 minutes to find the antidote and then another three hours to make the cure. Since then it has been a waiting game. Peter had slept for two or three hours but couldn't sleep. So here he was, waiting from the ceiling.

Across the room on one of the cots, Mary Jane and Ava are curled up with a blanket over themselves from the cool of the room. The girls had volunteered to share a cot since no one wanted to leave the room and they didn't have enough cots for everyone. Danny, Luke, and Sam are all passed out on some blankets on the floor. Sam is holding his helmet like a child holds a teddy bear. Peter had already snapped a few pictures for blackmail later.

On the cot at MJ and Ava's feet, Rogue is curled up in a blanket in the fetal position. On the other half of the cot, Laura is in the same position. If Peter didn't know better, he would have said they were sisters with the way Logan treats them. Speaking of Logan, he's pressed between that cot and the wall sitting on the floor using his leather jacket as a pillow. In front of MJ and Ava's cot, Scott is lying with Steve Junior clutching Scott like a security blanket. The older teen can relate to the missing sibling issue. He can still remember the amount of time that he didn't have his little brother Alex around. So when Steve Jr. had started to have nightmares, Scott calmed him down and the young Rogers had refused to leave his side since then.

Reed Richards sits in one chair with his head hanging off the back sleeping soundly. Across his lap, Susan Storm sits with her legs over the one arm and her arms wrapped around Reed tightly. Peter had thrown a blanket over them a few hours ago. Next to Reed and Sue were Janet and Henry Pym. Pym was half-laying half sitting on the too small day bed with Janet curled up on his chest. Pym's arms are holding Janet closely and keeping the blanket from falling off them.

On another cot, Professor Xavier is laid out with a blanket covering him from the waist down. Sprawled out on the floor next to his cot is Dr. McCoy who has a half read book in his hands that he had fallen asleep reading hours ago. Next to him on top of a few blankets, James is half propped up on the wall sleeping with his gun hidden under the blanket over him. He'd shoot to kill anyone that came in the room.

Sif is curled up next to Thor. Thor's back is to the door and Sif is tucked between him and the wall. His lips rest on her forehead and she has a faint smile on her face. Above their heads, Thor's hammer and Sif's sword lay waiting for their owners to wake and pick them up. Thor had told Steve about Sarah wielding Mjolnir to which Steve was surprised just saying the words aloud allowed Sarah to use the hammer. Pressed up against Thor's back with his back to Thor is Loki. The God of Mischief lies on his side sleeping with his staff in his arms. Thor had to threaten Loki with being hit by Mjolnir to get the god to go to sleep. Loki had wanted to wait up for Sarah and keep Peter company. The God and the Spider both knew the other didn't want to be the last to see her wake. In front of Loki on a cot, Tony lays with Pepper on top of him the pair sleeping peacefully. Pepper's head rests on top of his arc reactor.

Bruce is curled up next to their cot with a book in one hand his fingers numbly keeping place of where he had been reading. His hand rests absentmindedly on the footrest of Hawkeye's wheelchair. The Archer had fallen asleep in his wheelchair and the others told the doctors it was best not to move the archer. His chair rested between Bruce and Steve. Steve and Natasha are curled up on many blankets right next to Sarah's bed. On the other side of the bed are the seats that Fury and Coulson had been occupying until Maria called them away to deal with someone called Doctor Strange.

Peter turns his attention to Sarah again. The soft light of the monitor screen on the wall behind her bed shows her pulse reading and other vitals. Hanging from the IV bag stand is an IV and Sarah's visor. They had removed her vest and placed that on a spare chair next to her bed. Her long sleeve shirt had been swapped out for a white tank top so they could get the IV into her arm. Tony said the gauntlet on her arm could have done the IV but no one believed him.

Peter's eyes narrow as Sarah's face crunches up and then relaxes. He watches as her hands start to flex and bend at the elbows. Peter lands next to the bed and watches as she slowly opens her eyes and blinks rapidly for a few seconds. When her eyes slow down and she can finally see everything, she focuses on Peter.

"Peter," she whispers softly. Peter smiles and takes her hand in his own. The smile on his face was priceless, as was the girl in front of her.

"Hey Sarah. Welcome back," Peter chuckles softly stroking her hand with his thumb. "Gave us all quite a scare there." His smile shrinks to a smirk.

"Yeah, sorry about that," she chuckles. "And no more blaming yourself, I'll kick your ass myself." Peter grins broadly, as he sits down on the bed with Sarah's hand in his lap. He moves his thumb in circles on her hand softly.

"How do you feel?" Peter asks looking up at her face.

"I'm good. A little achy here and there but I'm good," Sarah replies. "How about you?" She can't see any visible wounds but that doesn't mean that Peter's not hurt. He was good at covering up his own injuries.

"A few new bruises but nothing major," he counters. Sarah squeezes his hand softly. "They brought in a lot of people to help you."

"Like who?" Peter motions around the room. Sarah stares at the sight in front of her. _That's a lot of people,_ she thinks looking around.

"Well, the ones that actually did something consisted of Reed Richards, Henry Pym, Hank McCoy, and Professor Xavier. However, we have Susan Storm, Janet Pym, Rogue, and Scott Summers here too," Peter tells her.

"I met Professor Xavier, he kept me company in my head," Sarah tells Peter.

"Yes, he told me about that. I'm sorry I wasn't by your side. I just couldn't see you like that," Peter explains to her. Sarah moves her free hand slowly up Peter's arm to his face. She smiles softly at him.

"I know, Pete. I know." Peter smiles and holds her hand to his face. "You owe me two dates now."

"What?!" Sarah covers his mouth to muffle his voice. Last thing they need is everyone awake.

"Come on, Peter. You know you want to."

"Fine, but if your dad puts the fear of god in me, I'm running the other way because that god will be Thor or Loki, and I'm not sure which one would be worse," Peter states. Sarah laughs but clutches her sore ribs. "Hey, you okay?"

"Fine, just have some sore ribs." Peter yawns softly. "How much sleep did you get?"

"Like around three hours." Sarah shakes her head and moves over on the bed. She uses the hand on Peter's face to pull him down and the Spider lays on his side looking at her.

"Sleep Peter."

"Sarah."

"Sleep." Peter shakes his head and Sarah pushes Peter onto his back. She wraps one leg around his waist and heaves herself up onto him. She pins him effectively to the bed, never once do her vitals escalate. "Sleep Pete before I knock you out."

"Okay, you've made your point!" Sarah laughs and moves across the bed a little. She lies on her stomach with her head next to Peter's shoulder. "Your parents are going to kill me when they wake up," he mutters. Sarah wraps an arm around his waist and sets her head on his shoulder. Her IV arm is above her head so the flow isn't disturbed. Peter looks down at her and she gazes up at him.

"No they won't." Peter leans down and pulls Sarah up some. He softly kisses her before letting her lay down again.

"If they knew we were kissing they would," he whispers softly. Sarah shakes her head and hides her face in his neck. Peter is a bit uncomfortable with Sarah clinging to him but he knew she wasn't doing any harm by doing this. He wraps an arm around her and falls asleep peacefully.

Luckily for them, they're woken by Ava and Mary Jane before any of the adults wake up. Peter takes a seat and Sarah rolls onto her back. Sarah takes the IV out and hooks the line onto the IV stand. Mary Jane helps her sit up and stand before helping her navigate through the bodies and into the bathroom just outside the door in the hall.

"Thanks for waking us up, MJ," Sarah says as she washes her hands.

"No problem, Sarah. How you feeling?"

"Pretty good. Listen," Sarah says sitting up on the counter for a second and looking at MJ with a serious expression on her face, "I know you like Peter. Don't try to deny it you know I'm telling the truth. And I'm sorry if finding me and Peter like that this morning was awkward. I just hope it doesn't change anything." MJ laughs.

"Sarah, yes I do like Peter, and I know he likes me back a bit, but I can see you like him too. What is it between the two of you anyway?" MJ questions.

"A dozen kisses or so," Sarah answers. "He's the first guy outside of family or work family that's gone out of their way to help me. I don't know what it is. I wish I did." MJ sets her hand on Sarah's shoulder and the blond looks up at her.

"When Peter finally realizes he likes us, he can make the choice. If he chooses you, I will be a friend."

"Same if he chooses you," Sarah swears. "He's going to choose you. And Odin knows, there's Gwen too. We have a love square going on. You know what, I think I might just back off."

"But then it would be boring. To love," Gwen says holding her hand out. The girls smile and clasp hands. They return to the room and sit on Sarah's bed. The next person to wake is Clint. And of course, Clint is a loud mouth.

"Sarah," Clint breathes as his eyes land on her. "You're awake!" he shouts. The whole room stirs as Clint yells.

"What's going on?" Scott asks as Steve Jr. rolls over to face Clint.

"Sarah's awake!" Steve bolts up the second Natasha is off him. MJ and Ava move so Steve can get to his baby girl. Sarah wraps her arms around Steve's larger body and buries her face in his neck. Steve holds his baby girl close and leans his head to shield her head with his. Sarah can't help but cry softly.

"Don't you ever do this to me again," Steve breathes.

"Same goes to you, Dad," she stutters. Steve adjusts his grip and kisses her forehead. A lone tear goes down Steve's cheek as he holds her.

"Come on, there are others in the hug line!" Steve Jr. protests. Steve and Sarah laugh and release each other. Steve Jr. tackles his sister in a hug and buries his face in her neck. "You had me so worried Sis."

"Come on, bro, you know it takes a lot more than some crazy guy from the War to kill a Rogers," Sarah laughs messing up his hair. "When was the last time you combed your hair? You look like Clint after being attacked by a mob of fan girls!"

"That's not funny," Clint complains.

"I've been a little preoccupied sis!" Steve Jr. counters. "I challenge you to a sparring match!"

"You're on little brother. I'll kick your butt!" Sarah laughs.

"Dad, can I borrow your shield, she has one!" Steve Jr. complains.

"No, your mother would kill me," Steve replies. Steve wrestles his son away from Sarah so Natasha can hug her daughter.

"Mоя принцесса," Natasha breathes. Natasha's hair falls into Sarah's face but she welcomes the smell. "I am so proud of you. But don't take on your father's enemies by yourself next time, okay? I do not want a repeat."

"I promise to do so as long as you promise to wear the tracker I gave you so I can find you when you get captured!" Sarah counters.

"For you, baby girl, anything," Natasha insists. She releases Sarah but the blond is instantly tackled by Pepper.

"Aunt Pepper, you're strangling me," Sarah gasps. Pepper releases her and puts her hand on Sarah's cheek.

"I almost lost Tony and the team. And then you come back and I think it's over but find out that my niece is on the verge of dying? I don't know who I have to worry about more, you or Tony," Pepper says. Sarah thinks it over as she hugs Pepper.

"I'd say Tony. Have you seen how he drives?"

"Like you're any better, Speed Demon," Peter counters. Sarah shoots him a look and he quickly silences himself. Tony hugs Sarah softly.

"Thank you," Sarah says motioning to the gauntlet.

"I was serious when I said it doesn't come off unless broken beyond repair. It's a monitoring system for your vitals, communicator, has the power to unlock almost all of Stark Tower's doors, and creates shields among other things. I'll show you everything when you get better though," Tony insists.

"Well, considering as the other one died on me, thank you," she states again.

"Which reminds me Tony, why'd you create something that can't be taken off?" Steve demands.

"So if she ever got captured they couldn't take it off or disarm it and we'd be able to find her if she hadn't broken herself out already," Tony counters. "I'll work on getting it off so she can take it off if you want Cap. Otherwise there is a cloaking device on it." The two Avengers start to argue softly in the room. Tony is replaced by Thor who has no issue on hugging the Little Avenger a little too hard.

"Thank you for freeing us. Your use of Mjolnir surprised me. The only ones I've ever willed to use it have taken it from my hand," Thor says to her.

"I'm just glad it worked, Thor. I was worried it wouldn't," Sarah confesses. Thor smiles and roughs her hair up a little bit. After Thor, Sarah is tackled instantly by Laura who knocks her backwards a bit. "Laura, I know."

"I should kick your butt you worried me so much," Laura snarls in her ear. Sarah hugs the mutant.

"Love you too Laura." Logan smiles at Sarah as Laura moves back to join Logan. Sarah exchanges hugs with Sam, Luke, and Danny who are all glad to see she's up and walking again.

"Loki," Sarah says looking at the god. Loki looks away. "Come here." Loki walks over since the binding is still in effect. Sarah pulls the god into a hug much to the surprise of everyone in the room. "Thank you. You didn't have to save me. You could have let me die and you would have left the group, but you didn't. So for that, thank you." Loki hugs her back.

"Your words were true," Loki says looking down at the blond teenager. "Just because I'm adopted does not mean they are not my family. So, for that, I thank you." Sarah smiles as Loki backs off and looks at Thor. He holds his hand out to Thor. "Truce, brother?"

"A handshake will not do it, brother," Thor says. Loki and Thor hug and Sarah's smile barely fits on her face.

"I was told you carried me out," Bruce says approaching Sarah. "Thank you. I'm glad you're all right."

"You too Bruce. Come here you big softy," Sarah laughs before hugging the older man. Bruce smiles softly as he hugs her. James walks over and they exchange a hug.

"You are too much like your father. No more stupid moves," James threatens.

"What's that supposed to mean, Bucky?" Steve counters.

"Where do I start, Cap?" James retorts.

"Behave," Natasha growls.

"Mom, they're never going to learn," Sarah mutters.

"I know." Sarah laughs as Steve and James start arguing and telling stories about each other. Sarah looks at the remaining people.

"Professor Xavier, I never got the chance to thank you properly in my head. Thank you for your comforting words and getting the Wall-Crawler here to come visit me," Sarah says with a laugh.

"It was my pleasure," Charles says. "And if you ever need a little counseling for some of those memories, the Institute is open for visiting."

"I might just take you up on that," Sarah says with a smirk. "Doctor Hank McCoy. I heard you were helping, thank you."

"My pleasure, Sarah."

"Henry Pym, a pleasure to meet you," Sarah says with a smile and holds her hand out to the scientist. Pym takes her hand and shakes it. "Thank you for your help as well."

"It wasn't a problem. I'm glad I could help." Sarah looks over to Reed.

"Mr. Richards, an honor to meet you in person. I've read some of your articles for school, very intriguing," Sarah says with a smile.

"I'm glad," Reed laughs and stretches over to shake her hand.

"Who's hungry?" Natasha asks.

"I am. I could eat a horse," Sarah jokes.

"Why don't some of us head down to the cafeteria and get some food? Let's give the kids some downtime," Steve suggests. The adults leave Rogue, Scott, Laura, and the rest of the kids in the room.

"Sarah I'd like for you to meet Rogue and Scott. They go to my school," Laura says motioning to the pair. "Rogue's like my sister. Her and Dad have that father daughter relationship going on."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Rogue, Scott," Sarah insists.

"I have tah ask, Sarah," Rogue says in her accent, "was the stories Laura told meh true? Did you flip Logan upside down while flying? And make tha mystery meatloaf explode?"

"Yes, that is true. I'll have to try that at school, maybe with less boom though," Sarah says off handedly.

"Less boom?" Laura scoffs. "We covered every nook and cranny with mystery meat, are you kidding me?" Sarah laughs at the memory from their days at the base.

"When was this?" Sam questions.

"I was living on a SHIELD base and Laura was there training with me for a mission. I had some good times there. Only one bad one," Sarah mutters. She thinks for a moment about the helicopter accident. "Laura, do you remember the time we snuck that hair dye into the new recruits bathrooms?"

"Dyed them all orange while taking showers! Now that was fun," Laura laughs. "Course, Coulson wasn't too happy."

"When is Coulson happy? He's too strict," Luke scoffs.

"Not the Coulson I know," Sarah counters. "The Coulson I know loves reality TV and watching movies."

"The food war!" Laura and Sarah laugh at the same time. "Good times."

"How much of your superhero life did we miss out on?" Ava questions.

"I've never really been a superhero. It was more like getting used to the real world. Oh and training to take out bad people. Let me put it this way, my life is extremely complicated," Sarah comments.

"I got a question," Sam says excitedly.

"Fire away."

"How are you Steve's and Natasha's kid? I mean, they're too young to be your parents!"

"First off, did you forget Cap served in WWII?" Luke demands.

"And so did Natasha," Sarah pipes up. "They both have the super soldier serum in them."

"Sis, do you really think we should be saying this stuff?" Steve Jr. asks.

"Bro, not like they wouldn't find out sometime. I mean Laura can hack the computers and she already knows. The crew can hack computers too. And Mary Jane would learn from Sam's mouth running," Sarah counters. "I'm Cap's clone, female obviously. The male clones weren't stable. Well other than two, my delightful little brother Steve Jr. and my older brother Michael who went a little dark side and then came back. The Avengers found me about 9 months ago and about three months ago, we told Cap I was his clone. Sort of a shock to him."

"And I thought mah family had issues," Rogue mutters.

"So, who flew us home?" Sarah asks her crew.

"Your mother and she flies like a maniac!" Sam accuses. The group is quiet. "She's right behind me isn't she?"

"That would be a yes, Mr. Alexander," Phil says from the door.

"SORRY!" Sam screeches before running to the other side of the room. Sarah jumps off the bed and crosses the room to Phil. She throws her arms around him and Phil hugs her back.

"Good to have you back," Phil says with a smile. "And I had an agent forge all your homework for you."

"Best uncle ever." Phil laughs and Sarah turns to see Fury waiting. "Permission to hug?"

"Granted." Sarah throws her arms around Fury and the old Director hugs her back. "Good to have you back, kid. How'd that new uniform work out?"

"Like a dream. Can I keep it?" Sarah pleads.

"All yours."

"YES!"

"Doesn't mean I'm letting you on missions," Steve says from his place next to her bed.

"Come on Dad!"

"Young lady." Sarah pouts but jumps back on the bed. Steve hands her breakfast and she eats it greedily.

"Where's Sif?" Ava asks looking around the room and not spotting the Asgardian.

"She was summoned back to Asgard. She took Skruge and Amora with her. My father wants her to relay a message to us. I believe it is about Sarah returning Loki," Thor explains.

"Do I have to go back?" Loki asks Thor with big puppy dog eyes. "She treats me like a normal person! Please Thor, talk to Father."

"We will see, Brother," Thor answers. The sound of the Bifrost opening on the deck of the helicarrier is heard by everyone. They wait patiently for Sif's return and are surprised to find Sif is not alone.

"Mother?" Thor and Loki say shocked.

"Good morning, boys. Ah, so these are your friends Thor, indeed they are heroes," Frigga says. "The All-Father has asked me to speak with the Rogers family, alone."

"All right, clear the room," Fury orders. Fury bows his head to Frigga and herds everyone out of the room. Sarah, Steve, Natasha, Steve Jr., Loki, Thor, and Sif are the only ones remaining with Frigga in the room. Sif closes the door and Sarah swallows hard. She hadn't been this close to the goddess before.

"You must be her father," Frigga says looking at Steve. "Such a brave young one you have. And you have a son as well. Is he a warrior like his sister?"

"Not until he's older, ma'am," Steve answers. "This is my fiancée Natasha Romanoff and my son Steve Jr."

"A pleasure to meet you all. Odin is extending an invitation for young Sarah. He watched the battle. He would like for Sarah to come spend some time in Asgard training with some of the Valkeries and Lady Sif herself. She has proven herself a worthy warrior," Frigga states looking at Sarah. "Few humans have come to Asgard, even fewer have trained among the warriors. As a friend of Thor's, we thought this might be the time to extend the invitation to a mortal."

"But what about school?" Natasha asks.

"I can pick it up when I get back. Mom, I learned k-11 in about six months for the most part. I think I can learn the rest too," Sarah points out.

"Your friends and family," Steve adds.

"Dad it's not like it's for eternity." Sarah looks to Frigga for conformation.

"As she is mortal she can't stay there more than a few months," Frigga speaks up. "She would be back before your new year. Few mortals live in the other realms and those that do are not exactly mortal anymore."

"Can we make that Christmas?" Steve Jr. asks.

"Yes of course. You mortals have a break in your schooling for Christmas, correct?" Everyone nods. "She shall be returned on the day that happens."

"When would she leave?" Steve inquires.

"Well, how about she rests today and tomorrow and leaves the day after?" Frigga suggests. "You would have to keep Loki a few extra days though." Sarah looks at Loki.

"I'll last a few days Sarah. However I am not sure on sleeping arrangements," Loki points out.

"I'll have a cot moved in," Steve states with a hint of threatening in his voice. "You can go if you really want to sweetheart." Sarah smiles and hugs Steve tightly. "I think that's a yes, ma'am."

"Sif and I will return to Asgard and inform the All-Father. See you in a few days, Sarah."

"Thank you Lady Frigga!" Sarah says excitedly. Frigga and Sif walk away and Steve Junior looks at her.

"I'll miss you Sis."

"I'll be back before you know it, bro. So, can we go back to New York now? I need to do something before I leave," Sarah insists. Steve nods and Natasha walks away to get a quinjet ready. The X-Men would drop of Pym, Janet, Reed, and Susan in New York while the Avengers took one quinjet back and the kids another, with Natasha and Sarah piloting respectively.

"Laura, we have to get together when I get back," Sarah states as she hugs her friend. "We should totally go shopping. Rogue, you're invited."

"Thanks."

"Be safe," Laura whispers hugging Sarah again.

"Miss Rogers, you are welcome at the Institute anytime to speak with me," Charles says.

"Thank you Professor." The X-Men take off and Sarah goes with Loki onto the quinjet they're borrowing. James would ride with them to take it back but Sarah gets to fly it. The blond is silent as she pilots it toward New York. The other kids are all silent with the realization that she won't be around for a few months. Peter had done the math in his head, two and a half months without her.

"Sarah, why don't you and your friends go down to one of the lounges to spend some time together?" Natasha asks.

"Can they stay over tonight?" Sarah asks looking at Natasha. "They have LMDs in their places for everything."

"Sure sweetheart. Take some blankets and camp in one of the entertainment rooms," Natasha insists.

"We'll take the movie theater a level down." Natasha nods. That has a projector that projects onto the windows. The windows would black out for the movies. It also had easily movable furniture.

"Loki, you don't mind do you?" Sarah asks looking up at the god.

"Not at all." Sarah motions the kids to follow her to the nearest linen closet. They pick out inflatable mattresses, blankets, pillows, and slippers. They deposit them in the room before heading off to change into different clothes. MJ, who had luckily been replaced by a LMD when Fury noticed she was missing, would stay the night too. MJ borrows some of Sarah's clothes and goes off to a bathroom to change. Natasha would throw everyone's clothes in the washer and dryer for them.

"I'll be right back out," Sarah says walking to the bathroom. Loki plops down on her bed and transforms himself into mortal attire to blend in a bit better. He waits staring at the ceiling waiting for the teenager to come out. What she had said earlier was true. He didn't have to save her, sure Thor would have been mad at him for not helping, but he didn't have to save her. She had made a point about families. Most of her family wasn't blood and those that were are just male clones of herself at different ages. Looking back, Loki realizes that Thor is his brother and has been trying to repair their relationship, but Odin still has anger toward him. Odin let him wander around quite freely but he still doesn't trust Loki completely, not after all he's done.

Loki sighs deeply. He'll be locked away inside the castle for the rest of eternity if Odin gets his way. And he always would. Loki is the God of Mischief, the Trickster, the King of Evil. He was destined to be that for all eternity. It was who Loki was. Through all the cycles, Loki is the evil one and no one can stop that. He doesn't want to be evil, not anymore. He still has feelings.

"Loki." Loki doesn't hear Sarah. "Loki!" He bolts upright to see the teenager with a towel wrapped around her chest and shorts on underneath. "Lost in thought? Can you go get me a tank top from my dresser? Third shelf from the top." Loki walks over and grabs the shirt. He goes over to the blond and hands it over to her. "Thanks."

"No problem." Loki returns to the bed and sits this time. He hears her silently come out and she creeps up behind him on the bed.

"What's the matter?" she asks softly. Loki can see her hand putting her uniform down on the bed next to them.

"It's nothing."

"Bullshit. Loki, I may not know you well but I know when someone is troubled. What's wrong?" Sarah asks. The teenager sets her hands on Loki's shoulders causing the god to flinch slightly. She softly massages his shoulders. This technique always seemed to work on SJ or any of the other family members. "What's wrong, Loki?"

"It does not concern you."

"Loki, you can't heal if you push away the people that reach out to you. Trust me I learned that myself." Sarah deepens the massage and Loki's head rolls back slightly as the tension leaves his shoulders and neck. "You can tell me. I promise I won't tell. Please." Loki smacks her hands away and stands up. Sarah's face turns into a scowl quickly.

"It does not concern you. Why must all you mortals be so pushy! Can you not leave well enough alone!" he demands.

"Nope," Sarah says with a giggle. "Mortals are funny like that. Loki, I'm trying to help you. Why won't you let me?"

"Because you will go tell Thor. And Odin knows I do not need him even more overbearing than usual," Loki snarls.

"Loki, I won't tell Thor unless you want me to. That's what promises are for after all. If I didn't care and was going to tell Thor I would have just forced you to tell me already," Sarah points out. Loki glares at her.

"I hate it when other people are right." Sarah chuckles softly and stands up.

"Fine, I'll drop it. Come on the others are probably waiting." Sarah starts for the door but his hand lands on her shoulder.

"Wait," Loki says softly. Sarah doesn't turn, she know Loki doesn't want her to. "I was brooding over my family. You had a point earlier, about how they raised me so they're my family. And I started to realize that Thor does really care and he wants to forgive me, I can see it in his eyes. But Odin, he doesn't want me to cause anymore problems, he doesn't trust me anymore. Besides all those things, I do not wish to be some menace for all society any longer. However, by destiny, I am a menace, a monster, an abomination. I belong in no realm. Those were the things I was thinking about." Loki closes his eyes and turns away from the teenager. He doesn't know what she'll do. He doesn't hear her move. Suddenly, she's in front of him and hugging him. She brings his forehead down to rest on her shoulder and smoothes his hair down.

"You belong where you want to belong," Sarah insists. "People can defy destiny, and so can gods." Loki wraps his arms around her loosely. The teenager is 5'11" right now, not quite her dad's height yet but she still had a little growing to do in the last years of the serum taking hold and slowing her aging down to near nothingness. Loki, at 6'4" has to slouch slightly to rest his head comfortably on her shoulder. In a few years, when Sarah gets to be 6'2" or 6'1" in height he will easily be able to put his head on her shoulder, but for now, he must slouch instead. He turns his face into her neck and Sarah smiles softly.

"Thank you," he whispers softly.

"You're welcome. Now come, we must have some fun before I leave," Sarah chuckles.

"Just give me a moment." Sarah watches as Loki transforms in front of her eyes. He shrinks about an inch, he face loses years, and he's much younger. His hair is pulled up in a ponytail and he looks like he would go to school with Sarah. "If I am to be around teenagers for the rest of my stay, then I am going to enjoy myself as a teenager."

"I like this look better," Sarah says with a laugh patting his shoulder. He smiles softly before following her out of the room. They go down to the lounge where everyone else is waiting.

"Hold up, who dat?" Sam questions when Loki comes in.

"Loki decided to enjoy this time as a teenager since he's hanging around with us misfits," Sarah answers. "What to do first?"

"Basketball?" Peter suggests.

"I think the gym is open," Sarah says with a smile. The kids walk to the elevator and go down to the gym. The jaws of the super crew drop, well other than Peter. Mary Jane stares at the largest gym she'd ever seen. "Welcome to Avengers Gym. Please, no wrecking the equipment and do not touch my mother's or Clint's training weapons. They will kill you." She and Peter spot the basketball in the middle of the court.

"Race you, Parker," Sarah says with a smile.

"You're on, Rogers."

"On your mark, get set, go," Loki says. He teleports across the room to keep within that distance of Sarah as the two super teens slide toward the ball. They both wrap their arms around it and pull at it.

"This isn't going to end well," Luke observes.

"Give me the ball Pete," Sarah chuckles as she wrestles him for it.

"No way. I got it first."

"Verdict Loki?" Ava asks.

"It was a tie," he answers.

"Hey, you're on my team!" Sarah says indignantly looking up at the god. "Hey Pete, if you give me the ball, that's one date you don't have to go with me on."

"Which one would I owe you, Flash or this morning's?"

"Flash's, I need a date to that event," Sarah chuckles.

"Hm, what would be this morning's date?"

"Junior Prom." Peter releases and Sarah laughs as she flips into the air to her feet. "I knew that would work." Peter grimaces and stares at her.

"Yeah, well, Tony throws a good party. Who is on which team?" Peter asks.

"I already called Loki."

"Then I get Luke."

"Ava."

"Danny."

"Mary Jane."

"Sam, you're on my team," Peter states.

"Great, all boys on their team. Sarah, I don't think I can keep up with all of you," Mary Jane says.

"MJ is right," Peter says.

"Then you have to lose a team member."

"No he doesn't," a voice calls from the doorway. They turn to see Steve Jr. there. "The Avengers are out for the day. We have the Tower to ourselves." A grin spreads on everyone's faces. MJ tags out with Steve Jr.

"So, what do they call you?" Sam asks.

"Junior."

"I like SJ better," Sam teases.

"Really?"

"Yep."

"Sis, I call his ass." Sam gulps. He doesn't have his helmet on and he's going against a super soldier clone. He's fucked. They quickly explained the sport to Loki who picks it up easily. Mary Jane tosses the ball in the air and Sarah gets it, slapping it over to Ava. Ava passes it to SJ, SJ passes it to Loki, and Loki passes it to Sarah. Sarah slam ducks it into the basket and smiles as she lands.

"This is going to be interesting and painful," Sam states. He checks the ball in to Peter and the kids really go at it. At one point Luke had knocked over Loki, so after the next basket, Loki hit it off the back of Luke's head to make the basket.

"Nice," Sarah laughs high fiving with Loki. "See, you fit in."

"This is much safer than Asgardian games," Loki remarks before passing it to Ava who makes the basket.

"What were those like?" Sam asks.

"They were sparring sessions or quests to find some lost relic. What spots my brother got us into," Loki chuckles.

"Care to share?" Ava asks dribbling past Sam and dunking the ball.

"Well, I would suggest we do not tell stories while playing," Loki chuckles.

"MJ, what's the score?" Sarah asks.

"Tied, 90 to 90."

"First one to 100 wins," Peter settles.

"You're on Wall-Crawler!" Sarah laughs in excitement. She intercepts a pass from Danny to Luke and sinks it in the basket. "NINETY-ONE!"

"What just happened?" Luke asks Danny.

"It's called she was playing easy," SJ laughs. "Now she's not."

"This is going to be interesting," Loki chuckles as he blocks Sam from getting the ball. Ava steals it out from under Danny's fingers and passes it to Sarah who sinks the shot. Peter passes it to Luke who manages to get a basket.

"Ninety-two to ninety-one!" MJ shouts. Sarah passes it to SJ, SJ to Loki, Loki to Ava, and Ava to Sarah. The blond dunks. Unfortunately for her, her foot lands on the ball when she goes to the ground and she slams into the ground hard. Turning over onto her hands and knees, she clutches her head swearing. There's a dent in the floor where her head had connected with the floor.

"Shit," SJ growls rushing to his sister's side. Loki's already there and eases the teenager into the sitting position.

"That kinda hurt," she mutters. Loki moves her hair away from where her head had hit the ground. He looks at the dent and can see the steel support beam underneath.

"I was going to say that she shouldn't be this hurt from hitting the floor," Loki comments before pointing at the hole and continuing, "but she hit a metal beam."

"Dad is going to kill me," she mutters.

"Let's just call it a game, Sarah's team wins," Luke states. "We should get your head checked over."

"Give her an ice pack, she'll be fine," SJ mutters. Everyone looks at him. "She'll be healed in less than ten minutes!"

"SJ, inside voice," Sarah warns.

"What the hell is going on in here?!" Phil's voice reaches them. The kids, minus Sarah, look up at the agent. "Where are the Avengers?"

"Giving us alone time," Sam answers. "Sarah sort of smashed her head through the floor to the support beam below."

"All right, let's get her to the infirmary and make sure her brain's okay. Those beams are reinforced with vibranium, titanium and god knows what else." Loki eases his arms around her and pulls Sarah so she's kneeling. "Is that Loki?"

"I transformed myself into a teenager to have fun, Agent Coulson, not to cause mischief. Easy Sarah," Loki whispers as the teenager sways in his arms as they stand. Loki picks her up and Sarah eases her head onto his shoulder. A drop of blood hits the gym floor.

"Your father is going to kill us all," Danny states.

"I'm too young to die!" Sam complains.

"'No one can confidently say that he will still be living tomorrow,'" Danny states. Everyone looks at him. "I was quoting Euripdies."

"Moving on," Phil mutters. Loki carries Sarah to the nearest medical lab where Phil cleans out the gash caused by the edge of the beam. Using the medical equipment, JARVIS scans the back of her head only to find no lasting damage there. SJ gives her an ice pack and Phil storms off to find the Avengers. The kids go back to the lounge and settle in for story time thanks to Loki.

"Where to start," Loki murmurs thinking back to the good memories from his childhood with Thor. "Ah yes. Well, not all of it is good but it is a quite a tale to tell. It is about Thor's quest for Surtur's sword when we were quite young. He had just reached the few years where you were between boy and man."

"Ooh, Thor never told me of this one," Sarah chuckles.

"Thor, as Prince of Asgard, liked to boast his skills of battle," Loki chuckles. "He used to spar his trainers publicly. Of course, they would make sure he won and I encouraged him. Lady Sif was not happy about that, knowing that it would make Thor vulnerable in a true fight. When Sif told him the truth, he confronted Odin about it. I went to my lessons. Thor talked with Odin and then with Algrim the Strong who had watched over us as children for many years. Then my brother came to me. He asked me how my magic was. Keep in mind; I wasn't as powerful back then as I am now. He told me we were stowing about the Warriors Three's ship as they were about to go on their annual voyage for the Sword of Surtur."

"What is the sword?" Sam asks.

"Surtur is an old foe of Odin's, a fire giant. His sword was of fire and could destroy mountains with ease," Sarah answers. "Thor did tell me a bit about Surtur."

"Back to the story!" Mary Jane pleads.

"We stowed away on their ship, I used my magic to cloak us. My brother, the fool he was at the time, had brought along a sword from Odin's vault. I didn't want to leave Asgard knowing that Thor was overwhelmed. We arrived at an outpost and that is when we learned that the Warriors Three camped out there for a half fortnight before returning to Asgard with fake tales of their journey for the sword.

"We confronted them and informed them that we'd be going after Surtur's sword in Jotunheim. The three were stunned to find Thor there, let alone myself. They were quite shocked. Thor stole Fenris the wolf's ale and, well, it started a brawl in the tavern. Thor insulted him. I performed a little magic on his ale and he ended up soaked with. Naturally, I hid behind Thor, who Fenris started to fight. Fenris chased me about and the whole tavern started to brawl. Thor, being the heroic older brother, tackled Fenris who had cornered me. He then realized he had lost his sword. So we set about looking for it.

"I found a wooden hammer and gave it to Thor. You must remember though, this is before Thor had Mjolnir. He didn't want it but took it anyway. Thor threw it and it ricocheted around the room, cutting the chandelier from the ceiling. The chandelier fell on Fenris. Thor thought I had used magic to enchant it but I hadn't. Thor spotted his sword but we were cornered. So, like warriors, we jumped out the windows to get to the ship. Well, I used the door, as did Volstagg.

"I used magic to send Volstagg's ale in front of the tavern and lit it hoping the fire would give us time. We boarded the ship. I started laughing, that had been quite fun indeed. That started Thor and Fandral laughing and Volstagg and Hogun finally joined in on the laugh. The Warriors Three said we would return to Asgard but Thor insisted on pushing forward. I supported Thor because the adventure was quite fun. At the time, Sif had joined the Valkeries because of differences with Thor. At the time the Valkeries did not care for men at all.

"We crashed the ship in Jotunheim. We marched through a snowstorm in our search. The Warriors Three and my brother were freezing, however I was perfectly fine. I now know why. I told Thor I was warm because I was tougher than he. So Thor said I could fight off the first Frost Giant. Hogun sensed movement and it turned out to be snow sprites. One tore off a piece of Hogun's cloak. Thor told us to keep going.

"We reached a large valley and Thor was starting to lose his faith in finding the sword. So I teased him about giving up. Naturally, I reminded him of the stories of valor we learned as children. I showed him how the valley was the battlefield where Odin had fought Surtur. We told the story to each other and unraveled where the sword was.

"We traveled across the ice toward the mountain where the sword would be. We found a cave inside. Volstagg was exhausted and when he sat down, he caused vibrations in the ice. We fell through the floor to the cavern below. When we came to, we discovered Surtur's sword in the cavern. We didn't know it at the time, but the tavern owner had gone to Asgard and informed Odin. Needless to say, he was not pleased.

"Back to the cavern. Hogun broke the sword free bringing it down to our level. Thor, being the one that wanted the sword, went forward and touched it. The Sword of Surtur shrinks to fit whoever's hand that holds it so Thor had the perfect sword. Then it started to flame and Thor blew a hole in the mountain. He managed to sheathe the sword. I knew it would be bad if we were found and tried to tell Thor that. He said that those that confronted us would have something to fear now that we had the sword. He liked the power too much.

"We ventured north to the Valkeries where their training camp was. Fandral had angered many of the Valkeries so it wasn't exactly the brightest idea. But Thor insisted that he would be able to get horses from Sif. The sprite from earlier had alerted the Frost Giants and they started after us. We got to the bridge that would get us across to the training camp only to discover that there were sentries on the bridge. We discovered the Frost Giants were tracking us. Loki pointed out that the sentries were sleeping. Unfortunately for us, the Frost Giants tracking us woke the sentries. The sentries tried to apprehend us.

"We made for the bridge. The Warriors Three got ahead and I was tripped. Thor drew the sword to scare the Frost Giants off so I could get to safety. He swung the sword at one approaching Frost Giant and the flames destroyed the Frost Giant. The flames also destroyed the bridge, killing the second sentry.

"Thor, realizing what he had done, was devastated. He hadn't meant for any lives to be taken. The Frost Giants tracking us went to inform their king. I tried to justify the deaths to Thor, but Thor knew that this would cause war with the Frost Giants. The Frost Giants prepared to march on Asgard because of our actions, thinking they were deliberate. Father had to prepare his arms as well.

"Thor went in and saw Sif. However, they were discovered. The Warriors Three went in to get Thor out but they were captured as well. I went in to help my brother. I managed to get the sword while they talked to Thor and threatened to use it if they didn't free Thor. Thor told me to put it away, that no more lives would be taken with it.

"Back in Asgard, the Frost Giants prepared to attack. Odin went to confront the king, wishing to see why they were attacking. He didn't know that Thor had used the sword. The Frost Giants Prince informed Odin of what Thor had done. The Frost Giant King demanded that the sword be returned to him and the war would be adverted. Of course the time limit was by sunrise. Odin sent Algrim and warriors to get us. They knew we'd have to get water.

"The training camp was attacked by Frost Giants. Brunhilde had Sif get us horses and we left. Sif was told not to return unless she was sure she was ready to join the sisterhood because she had aided us when the Frost Giants attacked. The Valkeries defended their camp and we managed to get away. We stopped to water our horses and were found by Algrim and the warriors.

"Algrim took the sword from Thor who did not want it any longer. Algrim's anger of the Frost Giants killing his people caused him to want to sword for himself. He swore vengeance on Odin and then on the Frost Giants. Algrim slew the warriors but we hid. Algrim stole one of our flying horses and returned to Asgard. We rode back as well. The Warriors Three and Sif went on the front lines in Asgard to help defend Asgard. Thor and I went after Algrim because he had gone after Father.

"He had already attacked Father by the time we got there. Odin summoned his spear and confronted Algrim. Algrim tried to kill Odin. When we arrived Father was badly injured. The sunrise had begun. So the Frost Giants attacked. We reached Asgard shortly after the battle had begun. Already, lives had been taken, innocent lives.

"We arrived at the palace just as Algrim was about to finish off Father. Thor used Father's spear to push back Algrim. Algrim and Thor fought intensely. I went to aid Father. My emotions got the best of me, seeing him like that. Algrim summoned away all the fire in the room, leaving Thor blind to his attacks. But Thor got the jump on him and pinned him to the wall using Father's spear. He refused to forgive his betrayal but could not kill him. So I did, the pain from seeing Odin like that. Thor took the sword from me and comforted me. He told me to stay with Father and he went off in Father's chariot with the sword.

"Somehow, he made it past all the Frost Giants to the King of the Frost Giants. Thor returned the sword and offered his life as recompense. The Prince ordered his men to kill Thor. The King stopped him and took the sword. He announced that the war was over and froze the sword so its flames would hurt no one. He then sent Thor back to tend to Odin. And that is the end of the tale," Loki states finishing it off.

"Bullshit," Sarah states. "You're leaving something out. I can see it in your face."

"Yes, well, section of the story is between me, Thor, and Odin for all of eternity."

"What time is it?" Sam asks. Sarah glances at her gauntlet, which has a clock on it.

"About twenty minutes after noon. I'm hungry. Anyone else?" Everyone gets up and heads to the kitchen. Needless to say, they caused a bit of a mess. After making Mac & Cheese along with some grilled cheeses, they bake some home fries to go with it all.

"This is good," Sam laughs.

"You're lucky my parents pick out the food," Sarah chuckles.

"When Uncle Tony picks out food when the parents are gone, it's flat out scary," SJ laughs. "Take out for every meal. Thor was heartbroken; he didn't have any Pop-Tarts."

"What are Pop-Tarts?" Loki inquires. Sarah uses her chair to climb up to the top of the cabinets. She dislodges a hidden box and jumps down.

"Thor has some unique hiding places for those," Sarah mutters tossing him the box. Loki opens the box and opens a package. He looks at the Pop-Tart a little wearily. So Sarah snaps off a section of it and pops it in her mouth. "Cinnamon, I was wondering where these ones went." Loki breaks off a piece and pops it in his mouth. He chews it and a small smile fills the teenage face he wears.

"I can see why he likes them. You have foods here that we do not have in Asgard. Perhaps we should invest in getting some," Loki states shoving another piece in.

"Anyone else find that weird?" Luke questions.

"We deal with it on a daily basis," SJ states. "Thor may look it but he doesn't understand everything."

"He's still not allowed around the microwave. He's blown up ten since I've been here," Sarah chuckles. This started Sarah and SJ telling any little story about stupid or funny things the Avengers did on a daily basis. It was quite amusing to those present.

After lunch, a food fight, and cleaning up said food fight, the group went down to the lounge and watched movies for a few hours. When the adults got back, they had pizzas. Not just a few pizzas, they had nine pizzas. There wasn't a piece left over. While eating pizza, everyone went to the largest lounge and enjoyed a showing of Push followed by Van Helsing, Zodiac, Star Trek, 13 Going on 30 (the men almost died watching it so they turned it off at 49 minutes), Eight-Legged Freaks (Peter wasn't pleased), and Hush. Needless to say, they swear to never watch 13 Going On 30 again along with Eight-Legged Freaks and Hush.

"I think it's time for bed," Sarah says with a yawn. She looks at the clock to discover it's four in the morning.

"I'll agree," Peter says. The kids head off to the lounge and claim their blankets. They lay down in the room with JARVIS showing them some tropical night beach somewhere with the soft pounding of the waves over the speaker system. Sarah looks at all her friends and then at SJ who is silent. Sarah motions him over and she hugs him. He smiles and hugs her back before lying down on his sheets. Loki looks for a place in the room to sleep. The binding to stay within 100 feet really is a pain in the ass at times. Sarah motions Loki over and puts his blankets next to hers.

"Thank you," he whispers.

"Not a problem. Night Loki," Sarah says with a smile as she gives him a kiss on the cheek. The artificial moon on the screen lights the room up enough that Sarah can see Loki's deep blush as she rolls over to sleep. Loki smiles softly and lays down thinking about anything. An hour later, he hears Sarah whimpering and figures it's a nightmare. He rolls onto his side and wraps an arm around her.

"Shush, they can't get you," he whispers softly. "I'm here." In truth, he had seen some of those nightmares when he had chased the serum off in her mind. Well, not so much seen them as felt them. Sarah seems to relax in his arms and snuggles in close to him. Loki hadn't had someone that needed him like this for a long time. And he hadn't had someone he'd care about enough to do this for in even a longer amount of time.

At noon, Loki wakes Sarah when Natasha's footsteps come toward the lounge. Sarah rolls away from Loki in time for Natasha to open the door and wake everyone up. They eat brunch and Steve drives all the kids home.

"So, what are you going to do for the rest of the day?" Loki asks Sarah as they look out at the city from the living room couch.

"Well, if you don't mind, I have someone I have to go see," Sarah says softly.

"I don't mind. But how will you explain me?" Loki questions.

"You pick. I should probably borrow a vehicle," Sarah chuckles.

"Or I could teleport us over."

"Would Odin be upset?"

"If he is I will take the blame."

"Hey Mom," Sarah calls and Natasha comes out of the hall to the kitchen to look at her, "Loki and I are going to go pop over to see a friend of mine. I need to say goodbye. Well, actually, make that a couple of friends."

"Be careful. Loki, if she gets hurt, you answer to me, not your brother."

"Got it." Loki takes Sarah's hand and she tells him where to go. They're across the city in seconds and down the road from the house that she wants to be at. Peter had given her the address, luckily, so she found the house easily. They walk up the porch steps and Sarah knocks on the door. A woman answers the door.

"Can I help you?" she asks.

"Yes. Is Flash home?"

"I'll get him. Eugene!" the woman yells up the stairs. Flash runs down the stairs and stares at Sarah. He quickly closes the space between them and closes the door behind him. He glances at Loki.

"Who's he?"

"A friend," Loki answers dryly.

"How's your family?" Flash asks.

"We're on the mend, thankfully. Thanks for asking. I came by to tell you that I'm going to be gone from school for a while. I leave tomorrow morning to spend some time with some relatives of mine. They live in Sweden and I've only met them once. I'll be gone until Christmas Break. It was a sudden chance. Sorry I didn't get to tell you sooner," Sarah lies. Loki has to put his hand to his face to keep from smiling too large. The Liesmith had found someone that has the same talents as he in lying. Good to know.

"That's too bad, you leaving so suddenly," Flash says sadly. "But, can we still go on that date when you get back?"

"Of course we can."

"Schools going to be a little weird without you around."

"Yeah, I know the feeling. Listen, Flash, will you do me a favor?"

"Anything."

"Be nice to Peter and protect him from bullies, okay?" Sarah asks softly. "I heard you guys were once friends but you had a falling out since he's a geek and you're a jock. But Pete's really a nice guy and he's going through some things right now that he can't share with others. It would mean a lot to me if you were his friend." Flash considers it and nods.

"Yeah, I'll be his friend again. I don't even remember why we're not friends anymore. I'll try my best," Flash promises.

"Thanks Flash. I have to run. I still have to say goodbye to Gwen and Harry before I leave."

"Of course. Have a good trip." Flash kisses her cheek and Sarah smiles at him.

"I will. Thanks." Loki and Sarah walk down the street and he teleports them to the apartments where Gwen lives. After getting past the guy at the door, she goes up to the room. She had given Gwen a call to tell her she was coming up so the blond was waiting when she got there with Loki.

"Who's your friend?" Gwen asks.

"My chaperon," Sarah answers smoothly. "Can we get some air?" They go out on the roof and Loki gives them their space. "I'm leaving for a couple of months. I wanted to say goodbye before I left tomorrow morning."

"Where are you going?" Gwen inquires.

"I have some distant family in Sweden I'm going to visit. I've only met them once and they had a chance to bring me over for a while. My grandmother," Frigga for those of you that can't put the lie together (yes I just broke the fourth wall), "came when we had that family emergency. She told me grandpa wanted to see me and they had finally gotten enough money to bring me over themselves. I come back during Christmas Break."

"Have you told Peter yet?"

"Yeah, and MJ, Ava, Luke, Sam, Danny, and even Flash. Last one on my list is Harry, if he's home."

"I hope you have fun."

"It should be. Get to learn new things. Spend time with people I haven't met. My brother is going to miss me though."

"He's not coming?"

"No. They only had enough for one ticket. Maybe in a few years." Yeah right, her leaving would be traumatic enough. Natasha wouldn't be able to handle losing her precious little baby boy for a few months. He'd definitely be there longer. Sarah always studied harder, meaning she'd learn faster.

"Well, I'll see you when you get back then."

"Yeah." Gwen and Sarah hug tightly. Loki looks at Sarah as she wipes a tear from her eye and heads down the hallway.

"It's really hard for you, isn't it?" Loki questions.

"Harder for them. They don't know what I'm about to do. Harry Osborn is next." They teleport to the building and go to the door. Sarah knocks and Harry answers the door.

"Hey Harry," Sarah says with a smile.

"Sarah, what are you doing here?" Harry questions.

"I came to say goodbye. I'm going away for a couple of months and wanted to say goodbye to everybody," Sarah replies.

"Oh. Where are you going?"

"Sweden, I have family to visit there. Finally have the chance and I'm taking it. I'll be returning during Christmas Break."

"I'll miss you. Have you told the others yet?"

"Yeah. I just went and saw Gwen. Watch out for Peter would you?"

"Of course."

"Thanks Harry. I'll see you when I get back, promise."

"See you then." The two hug softly before Sarah walks away with Loki. Once they're outside of sight, Loki teleports them to the Tower and onto the roof. Sarah sits down and stares out at the city.

"You'll miss it, won't you?" Loki questions sitting down.

"I've had three homes my whole life. A dark damp cell in a dungeon where I was beaten and turned into a weapon, a hospital room where I was rehabilitated and went after the people that made me a weapon, and here, this is my home. I just got used to having things permanent again." Sarah scratches the back of her neck and sighs deeply. Loki moves over slightly and starts to rub the blonde's shoulders like she had him. "No fair using my own tricks against me."

"I am the Trickster," Loki points out. "Asgard is nice. I am sure Lady Sif will rarely leave your side. And Mother seems fond of you. But I must warn you, stay away from Fandral. He likes women a little too much."

"Thank you for telling me. I've notice something, Loki."

"What is that?" Loki asks craning his neck to look her in the eyes.

"You're calling Frigga and Odin mother and father again. You've also started to call Thor your brother. Did my words reach you that much?"

"Yes, they did." Sarah smiles and leans back into Loki. The teenage version of the god smiles softly down at the blond. "Why are you so comfortable with me?"

"Maybe because we can relate," Sarah replies. "Maybe it's the binding."

"That would not surprise me."

"Shall we go spend time with the family? Sif comes to pick us up before everyone wakes in the morning," Sarah whispers.

"That sounds like a good idea." They walk down the stairs and join the Avengers in playing card and board games until the sun went down. The next morning, at four, Steve wakes Sarah and Loki. He hands them breakfast and tells them to come up to the roof. The pair eats and Sarah grabs her bag from the floor. Loki had suggested on things to bring with her. She had slept in her clothes so she'd be ready to go. With a kiss from Natasha and another from Steve, Sarah walks out of Midgard and into Asgard.

* * *

**_Another super long chapter to hold you over until next week. Yes I do them on purpose so I can write and review chapters during the week. I'm not certain when the next update will be, I have to write up a quick mini chapter to go between this one and the next one written. _**

**_Next on the agenda, NO WHINING THAT I SENT SARAH TO ASGARD! NONE WHAT SO EVER! I did it for two reasons. First, the super crew needs to learn to be their own group and will go through some of the adventures detailed "Ultimate Spider-Man TV Series". I didn't feel like rewriting that stuff to put in this. Secondly, Sarah needs some time away from her family to mature a bit more and appreciate things like school and her messed up life. Thor can bring her food for all I care, she's staying in Asgard for a bit. _**

**_LASTLY, I HAVE A CHALLENGE FOR THEE! Well two challenges actually. First, I mentioned a number of movies, tell me their connection with the Avengers. If someone does, I will give them a shout out or write them something, like a comic one-shot or something. Haven't decided. My next challenge isn't really a challenge, but it sort of is. I'm thinking chapters ahead here, so just keep that in mind. Sarah goes to work for SHIELD more because something happens, I need villains and mission ideas along with an answer to these questions: _**

**_1) If Sarah didn't go to school, what type of job do you think she'd take? _**

**_2) If Sarah got fed up with being a superhero and her family in general, where would she go, what would she do, and how would her family react?_**

**_3) How do you think SJ should develop? Should his parents try to shield him from their jobs or encourage him to be a warrior?_**

**_4) How many of you know who Barney Barton is?_**

**_SEND ME PLOT BUNNIES PLEASE!_**

**_REVIEW PLEASE!_**


	9. Time In Asgard

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE AVENGERS OR HALF THE CHARACTERS IN THIS STORY. MARVEL DOES. I own Sarah Natasha Rogers, SJ Rogers and a few minor characters, that's it.**

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**_HEY YOU! YEAH YOU! I got an author's note for you in the beginning and the end. First off! THIS CHAPTER IS NOT EDITED! I GOT TIRED OF REREADING IT! It was supposed to be a hell of a lot shorter and like, it didn't work out that way, so yeah, not edited. It was supposed to be my mini chapter, it didn't work out! _  
**

**_SECONDLY! I mentioned a number of movies in the previous chapters, for the connections to the Avengers, please read the author's note at the bottom. _**

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Loki, Sif, and Sarah arrive in Asgard moments after they had left Midgard. They appear in Heimdall's observatory with horses waiting to take them back to the palace.

"Do you know how to ride?" Sif asks.

"No," Sarah admits. Sif motions for Sarah's duffle bag and the blond hands it to her. Loki offers Sarah a hand before lifting her up onto one of the two mares. This one is white and holds an elegance Sarah has never seen before. Loki pets the mare's neck.

"This is Saga, she's a very loyal mare," Loki tells her. Sarah puts her hand to the mare's neck and strokes the mare as Loki does.

"She is yours for your stay," Sif tells Sarah. "Along with that loyalty in her, she's also quite wild, like an untamed princess." Sif gives Sarah a knowing smile causing the blond to laugh whole-heartedly at the teasing. Loki hands Sarah the reins of the horse. The blond holds them firmly as Loki guides her feet into the stirrups.

"Until you get used to it, Saga will follow Sif back to the stables," Loki tells the nervous blond. "Don't worry; we won't let anything happen to you." Sarah nods and straightens on the saddle. Sif and Loki easily mount their horses and Sarah glances at Loki nervously.

"Tap her stomach," Sif instructs her. Sarah does so gently and Saga goes forward following Sif across the bridge. Loki rides next to her and soon finds the blond is doing fine on her own. Sarah takes note of how Sif leads the horse and is soon controlling Saga on her own.

"You seem at ease now," Sif comments as they ride.

"Yes, I'm getting a bit more used to it," Sarah replies with a chuckle.

"Then shall we race?" Sif asks.

"Sif, she's not-," Loki starts but the girls cut him off.

"You're on Sif."

"On your mark, get set go!" Sarah urges Saga forward as she catches up with Sif quickly. Loki brings up the rear keeping within 100 feet of Sarah at all times.

"Come on Saga, are you going to let Sif beat us in a race to the stables?" Sarah questions the horse. Saga snorts and picks up speed. Sarah keeps low to her horse, her head next to the horse's as they ride. They clatter through the streets and to the stables. Saga trots into the stables and prances happily. Sarah laughs and pats the mare's neck.

"You did well, Saga. I am honored to have ridden with you. We must do that again," Sarah laughs. She dismounts and pets the horse's neck as Sif and Loki lead their horses by foot inside the stables. Sarah puts her head on the mare's neck and the mare nuzzles her young rider.

"I believe Saga likes you," Lady Sif says.

"I like her. She is a good horse," Sarah insists. Loki shows her how to take care of the saddle and they feed the horses. Sarah takes her bag from Sif and the trio walks the rest of the distance to the palace. They enter and travel to the throne room where Odin and Frigga wait for them. Sarah hits her knees as does Loki and Sif to honor the Queen and King.

"Rise," Odin orders. They do and Loki looks at his father softly. "Loki, your appearance." Loki looks down, blushes, and then turns back into an adult.

"Sorry, All-father."

"It was of no significance Loki. Amora the Enchantress and Skruge have been dealt with, hopefully this will be the last of their mischief. Sarah Rogers, welcome to Asgard. I hope you enjoy your stay here," Odin says as he walks toward the group with Frigga in tow.

"I am honored to be here. Thank you for having me," Sarah says bowing her head to the All-father. Odin sets his hand on Sarah and Loki's shoulders once again and the bond breaks free of the pair. The pair glances at each other before looking at the ground again.

"Your training will start tomorrow. Today, Frigga has asked for some time with you. It seems she wants to spend some womanly time with yourself and some of the others," Odin says offhandedly. "Loki, before you return to your quarters, I wish to speak with you. Frigga, you may have her until the feast tonight." Frigga motions for Sarah and Sif to follow her. The two younger women follow Frigga though the halls to a doorway.

"These will be your quarters, young Sarah." Sif opens the doors and Sarah's jaw about hits the floor at the sight of the room. "I believe you'll find them acceptable."

"They are amazing, milady. Thank you." Sif takes Sarah's bag and sets it on a chest at the foot of the large bed.

"Sif, you're excused. We'll see you at noon at the pond," Frigga says.

"Yes my queen." Sif leaves and Frigga turns to examine Sarah a bit more. Frigga motions to a table next to the large window in the room. On the opposite side of the room, there's a balcony. The pair sits down at the table and Sarah notices the chest next to the table.

"I asked for some time with you because, to be honest, I have few female companions. Yes I have my daughter-in-laws for company but Sif and Sigyn aren't much company anymore," Frigga says. "I hope that you and I can be friends, Sarah."

"Of course, milady."

"Then call me Frigga," Frigga says. "So, how was Loki's time on Midgard?"

"It went quite well. A few hard feelings over what happened before, but he was a good team member," Sarah says with a smile. "Saved my life, but I suppose you know about that."

"Yes, Odin had Muninn, one of his ravens, watching the battle from affair. That was how he knew you fought well. I am curious, why did you keep fighting when you were getting weaker?" Frigga asks.

"I wasn't going to let my family fight alone," Sarah answers. Sarah shifts uncomfortably for a moment. Her hands trace the gauntlet on her arm, well, really, it was a bracer, but Tony had called it a gauntlet. She looks up at Frigga cautiously.

"Don't be afraid of me child."

"Sorry, it's just I've never been around such a high goddess," Sarah confesses.

"Don't think of me like that then." Frigga reaches out and touches Sarah's hand softly. "I see the change in Loki already. You have been nothing but a good influence on him. Thank you."

"Lady Frigga," Sarah says cautiously, "why me?"

"Because, as a child, you can learn faster. Also, Thor has told us about you. He said you're very much like your father, always fighting for one reason or another trying to help someone. Besides, I have no daughters," Frigga says softly moving her sleeve slightly before looking Sarah in the eyes, "the closest people I have to daughters are Sif and Sigyn. Even then, they are my son's wives. I'd just like a girl I could help mold into a beautiful young woman. Your mother is already doing a fine job with you." Frigga reaches out and brushes a few strands of hair behind Sarah's ear.

"I'll tell my mother that you approve of her parenting. I'd love to spend more time with you, Lady Frigga," Sarah says with a smile.

"I am old enough to be your great grandmother 15 times over," Frigga chuckles.

"I do not have a grandmother, it would be nice to have someone I could think of as a grandmother," Sarah tells her. Frigga smiles softly.

"Then for the rest of your stay, young Sarah, you shall be my granddaughter. Now, I know you are fond of your trousers, much like Sif, but we'll be in the company of ladies the rest of the day. Would you like a dress?" Frigga asks. Sarah nods.

"When in Asgard, do as the Asgardians do, yes?" Sarah says with a smile.

"Yes, I suppose that's true. Come, the seamstress has some clothes ready for you to try on. Even Sif is putting on a dress," Frigga chuckles. The pair rise from their seats and walk across the castle. "Thor will check on you two weeks from yesterday. Your parents will surely want an update on your training."

"I would be surprised if my father didn't tag along," Sarah laughs. They enter a large room with dresses scattered about the room. A woman in her late thirties by appearance scurries around putting things in place. She sees them and freezes.

"Milady, I am sorry the place is not cleaned up better!" she says frantically as she bows.

"It is fine Unnr. This is Lady Sarah of Midgard." Sarah looks at Frigga sharply at the "lady" part but smiles at Unnr. Sarah bows her head slightly to Unnr.

"Do not bow your head to me, young lady. I am a seamstress, not Princess of Asgard. Come now, we must get you dressed. Is this what you wear on Midgard now? Shame such a form is hidden behind those clothes," Unnr says. The blond woman beckons Sarah forward. Frigga nods in encouragement. Sarah walks to Unnr and the seamstress examines her from head to toe. "You will make my job difficult child. You rarely wear a dress, yes?"

"I've never worn a dress," Sarah confesses. "Well I did once to try it on."

"My Queen, you have sent me quite a challenge. Not only must I dress her, but also I must teach her how to act in a dress. It is a good thing you brought her to me early. Come child, follow me." Sarah follows Unnr behind a changing curtain. Frigga giggles when she hears Sarah tell Unnr to leave her underclothes alone. Yes, she would be quite the handful. Sarah blushes as Unnr puts her in a white strapless shirt that goes to her knees.

"Now, since you are from Midgard and we have had Lady Jane and Lady Darcy visit, I know of these bras you wear. I have compensated for those with this shirt," Unnr informs Sarah. Sarah feels her pulls strings on the back and the shirt forms snugly to her form. Her legs, to the knees at least, have very little room to move, like tight skirt really. Her chest is supported and the many pulls of strings on the back tell Sarah the design is like a corset. "I am sure Lady Sif or one of the servants can help you get this off later. Now, let's get some measurements so I can have some training clothes ready for you tomorrow. You are taller than Sif, but I think some of her clothes can be used to model some for you."

Sarah is thankful that her family isn't here to witness her being treated like a doll. Sarah does as Unnr tells her to and the seamstress soon has her measurements ready. She finds dresses about Sarah's size and brings them over to the blond. The blond shrugs not knowing which of the way too elegant for her dresses to pick. Unnr calls Frigga back and the goddess tells the seamstress to pick the deep blue or the deep red dress. After trying on the red dress and putting on the blue one after that, they decide that the blue one is the best fit for the blond. Unnr fetches some regular, by Asgardian standards, shoes and the blond slips them on. Unnr spends the next stressful hour trying to teach the blond how to walk, talk, sit, and move in the dress.

"Give up, Unnr, she is hopeless," a voice calls from the doorway. The three women turn to see Loki standing there. Sarah beams and scurries over to his side. She hugs him tightly.

"Please tell me you've come to rescue me from the torture of manner lessons," Sarah begs.

"Sorry, Sarah, I have not come for that. I came for two reasons. First," Loki says bringing out a necklace from behind his back. It's an icy blue and quite beautiful. "I wished to give this to you. I thought it might look nice on you. Secondly," Loki continues looking at Frigga this time, "Mother, if you would not mind, may I come visit you womenfolk at the pond? Without Brother here to keep me company and having free range of the city again, I shall be quite bored."

"Sigyn will be there."

"It would be nice to see my wife again."

"You may come Loki, but do not come while we are still eating. I fear Sigyn would throw a dish at you," Frigga says with slight smile on her face.

"Thank you Mother. I will see you later, Lady Sarah." Loki kisses Sarah's hand and slips the necklace into the blonde's hand. Sarah smiles as he walks away and quickly slips the necklace on over her head. She walks back to Unnr who stares at the way she's walking.

"Try sitting," Unnr tells Sarah. Sarah does and Unnr gapes. "My Queen, your son is a genius."

"The manner's necklace," Frigga chuckles, "I seem to remember him giving a similar one to Sif once. Only that one was red. It seems Loki did rescue you for more manners lessons." Sarah giggles softly at the thought of Loki still looking out for her. "Come child, we can walk the palace. Unnr, take her things back to Sarah's room and bring her a set of clothes for tomorrow's training by sunset."

"Yes my Queen. Have a good day, Lady Sarah."

"Thank you, Unnr." Sarah walks along side Frigga through the hallways. The Queen of Asgard smiles over at the mortal walking beside her. When they reach the pond, Sif is waiting in a silver dress. Sigyn is there in a green dress. Sarah can see why Loki fell in love with the goddess in the first place since she is quite beautiful. Brunnhilde is there as well, though in a dress she is still armed.

"Ah, they're all here already," Frigga says with relief as they walk up. Sigyn and Brunnhilde bow to their queen and Sif bows her head, as the metal piece on her stomach doesn't allow her to bend over that far.

"My Queen, is this Sarah Rogers from Midgard?" Brunnhilde asks looking Sarah over.

"Yes. Sarah this is Brunnhilde, the leader of the Valkyries. And this is Sigyn wife of Loki," Frigga says.

"A pleasure to meet you," Sarah says bowing to the pair in unison. They do the same in return.

"Loki gave you the manners necklace did he not?" Sif asks.

"You know him so well," Sarah says with a smile. "Yes, he is still looking out for me."

"How is your head? Loki told me you hit it off of a metal beam," Sif says.

"I am fine. All healed up."

"How did you hurt your head?" Brunnhilde asks.

"My friends and I were playing a game, basketball. My foot landed on the ball and I slammed off the floor. Being reinforced as I am, my head went through the floor to one of the building's support beams. It was quite the headache," Sarah chuckles.

"What is basketball?" Sigyn asks.

"Another time, Sigyn. I, for one, am hungry," Frigga says. They nod and sit down around a table next to the pond. Loki's arrival an hour later is accompanied by a flower landing on each woman's lap before he comes in view. He kisses Sigyn's cheek as he comes up behind her.

"It is good to see you, Sigyn. I am sorry for all the problems I have caused you," Loki says. Sigyn looks up at him and sees the honesty on his face. She throws her arms around him and cries into his neck.

"Do not ever do that to me again, Loki! I knew you were not evil but I was powerless to stop it! Please, Loki, never do that again!" Sigyn cries. Loki wraps his arms around her and smiles as he hugs her.

"I promise, Sigyn, I will not do that to you again. Besides, I believe young Sarah would deal with me for you," Loki chuckles looking up at Sarah. "Do you like your necklace?"

"Thank you Loki. You saved me from torture," Sarah giggles.

"Least I can do. Brunnhilde, good to see you again."

"Welcome home, Loki," Frigga says. Loki smiles softly. Figures the women would take him back first.

The next morning, back on Midgard, Steve heads downstairs to the gym to work out. He starts pounding on a punching bag since no one else is up at 4 in the morning since Sarah wasn't around anymore. Sarah had the tendency of getting up at 4 a.m. too, must be something she picked up from him. Steve grunts as the punching bag in front of him breaks away from the hook and spills on the floor in front of him. The cleaning robots hurry out to take care of it all. Steve sighs and sits down on a bench. He closes his eyes and tries to clear his mind. Something was wrong with his head lately. He'd have flashbacks to the war but none of them was making sense anymore. He kept seeing one face there, a face that shouldn't be there. He kept seeing Sarah there, always with Peggy or Howard, almost taking his place.

"Must be the stress," he mutters. He rubs the back of his head and thinks back to the war. He had met a number of dames back then. Maybe there was one that looked like her a lot. He can remember her vaguely getting sick and his blood curing her. He shakes it off again. "What in the hell is wrong with me?" Steve stands to go to the kitchen. His head swims and he grabs onto the nearest piece of machinery to stay upright. "JARVIS?"

"Yes Mr. Rogers?" the AI replies instantly.

"Is anyone up?" Steve asks.

"Mr. Stark and Doctor Banner are in Doctor Banner's medical lab," JARVIS informs him.

"Thank you JARVIS." Steve stumbles to the elevator and travels the floors to the lab. He hits the unlock button on the door to Bruce's lab and stumbles in. Bruce and Tony look up to see the pale super soldier. "Help." The pair rushes forward and manage to catch Steve as the super soldier falls forward.

"JARVIS! Get the others up now!" Tony barks as he and Bruce take Steve to the medical bed. Steve's incoherent as the pair lay him down on the bed. Seconds after they get Steve's shirt cut off to get heart monitors on, Natasha flashes to Steve's side.

"Baby!" Natasha cries. Steve looks up at his fiancée vaguely. Natasha smoothes his hair to one side and kisses his forehead. "You're going to be okay, sweetheart."

"Dad!" Thor holds the teen back as Steve drifts off into sleep. Bruce takes a blood sample as Tony sets up the blood pressure monitor.

"Any clue what this could be?" Clint asks. The billionaire shrugs and Bruce runs to machine after machine to test the blood. Steve begins to have a fever and sweat streams from his brow.

"Clint, cold water. Junior, get a rag," Tony orders. They do as their told and Natasha tries to cool her fiancé off.

"Where's a phone?" Bruce asks. Thor tosses a phone to Bruce who calls a number. "Logan, Bruce Banner. Is Doctor McCoy there? I'll wait." There's a pause. "Doctor McCoy? How fast can you be to the Tower? Something's wrong with Steve. I'm not even sure what it is. Good. We'll see you three then, thank you." Bruce hangs up and takes another sample of Steve's blood, this time a larger sample. "Laura and Rogue are flying Hank McCoy down to give us a hand. Let's get him comfortable." Thor lifts the Captain up and transfers him to a larger bed they use for recovery. Tony sends Clint and SJ up to the hanger to wait for the X-Men.

"Should we send for Sarah?" Tony asks.

"No, don't," Natasha snaps. "We won't get her unless we know he's dying." The men are silent. McCoy arrives and examines the results on the blood work. Rogue and Laura try to keep SJ occupied but fail miserably.

"He's stirring!" Tony shouts out the door to the other lab where McCoy and Bruce had disappeared to for a minute. The two doctors run back to see Steve struggling to stay conscious.

"Tasha, serum. It's the serum, degenerating. Seen it before. Cure not in my blood, in-." Steve drifts back off and the group looks at each other.

"SJ!" Bruce yells loud enough the teen hears him two flights up. The teen runs down and Bruce points at the spare bed. "Blood sample, now." SJ does as Bruce instructs and the doctor takes a sample of the boy's blood. He already had one of Sarah on file. He and McCoy look at the samples, then at Steve's, and then at each other.

"Your better at the formulas," Bruce says moving so McCoy can type. The group watches as within the space of a half-hour, McCoy has a cure to try. They try it on Steve's blood first and wait twelve hours. When the blood returns to normal, Bruce makes another batch and walks over to Steve.

"Cross your fingers," Bruce says. He injects Steve with the cure. They wait for the cure to work. Twelve hours later, Steve's awake and alive. Tony looks down at Steve as the Captain struggles to sit up.

"How'd you know what it was?" Tony asks Steve.

"I'm not sure. I…I just have this feeling I've seen it before back in the War. My head still hurts. Sorry Tony," Steve mutters rubbing his head. "Where's SJ?"

"I'm here Dad." Steve draws his son into his arms. "What is it Dad?"

"I'm just glad you're here son." SJ smiles and hugs Steve back.

Two weeks later, Thor arrives in Asgard. Heimdall looks at his prince.

"Welcome home, Prince Thor."

"It is good to be home, Heimdall. All is well I trust," Thor chuckles.

"A little mischief here and there, but that is to be expected. You will find Lady Sarah with Loki and Sif on a horse riding in the great arena. My sister insisted that Sarah learn how to ride a horse and fight. Loki is supervising," Heimdall informs him.

"My brother, supervising?" Thor scoffs. "What did the ladies do that required that?"

"They destroyed half the arena nine days ago." A look of puzzlement crosses Thor's face.

"Thank you for the information, Heimdall." Thor twirls his hammer and takes off across the sky. He lands outside of the arena hoping to surprise Sif and Sarah. He had told the Avengers he might stay a few days to see family and friends. He walks through the corridor to the benches next to the arena. Fandral and Hogun acknowledge him as he walks in as do Sigyn and Brunnhilde. Thor looks down into the area and sees Sif battling Sarah in a battle of swords. The horses are next to Loki, the god laying on a piece of yet to be removed rubble.

"You are getting better," Sif tells Sarah.

"I am learning from the best, milady," Sarah says with a smile.

"I told you not to call me that!" Sif barks as she swings her sword extra hard toward Sarah. Their swords collide and Sarah flies across the arena on her back. The blond shakes her head dizzily.

"Are you all right?" Loki asks appearing at her side instantly.

"Just a bit dizzy, brother," Sarah chuckles. "Mind helping me up?"

"Give me your hand," Thor says as he walks up to her. Sarah looks up with a bright face. She takes Thor's hand and uses that as leverage to climb into his arms. She hugs him tightly. "Hello little one."

"It is good to see you, Thor! How are things at home?" Sarah asks.

"SJ helped young Peter on a mission the other day. Something about an oversized lizard of some sort in the sewers. And you, how have you been?" Thor inquires.

"I have been quite well. And thanks to Brother," Sarah says looking over at Loki who is picking up her sword for her, "I have been dodging the manners lessons."

"Enchanted necklace, Brother?" Thor asks Loki.

"This one is blue, it suits her better. It is good to see you Brother." Sarah takes her sword back from Loki as Sif approaches. The dark haired woman puts her sword away so Sarah copies her mentor.

"I believe that is enough practice for today," Sif says. "Besides, you must have a healer tend to some of those wounds. You are not indestructible, Sarah."

"I know Sif, you keep informing me of this," Sarah mutters. Sarah whistles and her horse trots over to her side. "Good girl, Saga. Are you ready to return to the stables?" The horse nudges Sarah's bleeding shoulder playfully. "I shall tend to myself after I return you to the stables. Loki, would you send a healer to my chambers for me?" Sarah asks.

"Of course, but would you like me to tend to your wounds?" Loki asks.

"No, you must save your energy for when I teach Fandral how to treat women properly later this week," Sarah laughs in good humor.

"No woman has taught him yet!" Sigyn shouts down to Sarah.

"I am not a woman, according to many I am still a child. Perhaps I can get through his child like behavior!" Sarah retorts.

"We shall see, Lady Sarah!" Fandral calls down. Sarah laughs and climbs aboard her mare.

"What are we doing for dinner tonight Sif?" Sarah inquires.

"A great feast in the hall!"

"Good, I could use the energy. Would you mind fetching me the dark red dress from the seamstress?" Sarah inquires.

"I will bring it over shortly. I have to pick my dress up at well. After the last food fight, I had to have mine repaired," Sif says dryly.

"Thank you Sif. See you in a bit, Thor," Sarah says.

"Be careful," Thor calls after her.

"Sigyn, we must return to the castle!" Loki calls up to his wife. "I have a healer to fetch."

"I will wait at the exit."

Loki looks at his brother and says, "It truly is good to see you, Thor, but do not lie to Sarah again. She knew you were lying, but chose not to call you out on it."

"It is best that she doesn't know," Thor answers. Loki nods and walks away. Thor looks to his long time love. "How are you, Sif?"

"I am good milord," Sif says with a smile. "Lady Jane?"

"Engaged to another man. Seems she wants a stable relationship, one where her man is not running off every other week to destroy some evil," Thor chuckles.

"Your father would like to see you before the feast," Sif informs him.

"I shall go now." Thor kisses her cheek softly and flies off to the castle hall.

"When are you going to marry him, Sif?" Brunnhilde asks as she joins the dark haired woman.

"If it was only that simple, Brunnhilde, if only it were that simple." Unbeknownst to her, it was. At dinner that night, Hogun leads Sarah to her seat next to Loki and Sigyn at the table.

"Thank you Hogun," Sarah says with a smile.

"My pleasure, milady." The hall quiets as the royal family walks in. Everyone stands up and bows in their direction.

"Please sit," Odin says. Those in the room do so in unison. "Lady Sarah, my wife wishes to speak to you out in the hall." Sarah nods and gets up from her seat. She hurries to the hall where Frigga meets her with a young man at her side. The man has wavy blond hair and bright blue eyes. He is dressed elegantly.

"Sarah, I wish for you to meet Gunnarr. His father is a trusted advisor of Odin's. Some of the women have been talking about Hogun escorting you everywhere so Gunnarr volunteered to be with you for the remainder of your stay," Frigga informs her.

"So that would be where there's a new spot next to me," Sarah confirms.

"Yes. I will join the table now. Get acquainted." Frigga leaves the two teens alone.

"I am Gunnarr son of Ragnar. It is a pleasure to meet you Lady Sarah," Gunnarr says taking Sarah's hand and kissing it.

"Likewise, Gunnarr. My name is Sarah Rogers."

"Yes, Lady Frigga informed me that you are Midgardian. It is an honor to meet one. And might I say you are quite beautiful," Gunnarr says with a smile.

"Are you trying to court me, sir?"

"Lady Frigga suggested it."

"Well, unless you wish to move to Midgard, I doubt we will court," Sarah replies.

"For you, I might do that." Gunnarr extends his arm and Sarah smiles putting her arm through his. They walk into the hall and to their seats. Loki and Thor smile in approval. At the end of the feast, Odin calls everyone's attention to the front of the room.

"I have an announcement to make," Odin says loudly. "Prince Thor shall marry Lady Sif within the week!" Cheers resound from throughout the hall. Sarah rushes to Sif's side and hugs her happily.

"I'm so happy for you!" Sarah squeals hugging the nearest thing to a sister she has.

"Thank you, Sarah. I wish for you to be with me on the day of my wedding as well. With only my brother to represent my family, I hoped you would be at his side."

"Of course, Sif! I'm so happy for you!" And so it came to pass within the week Sif and Thor were married. The celebration was extravagant and well planned. According to Sigyn, she and Frigga had been planning the wedding behind Thor and Sif's back for centuries. According to Heimdall, he knew they would be wedding soon. Loki was at his brother's side when Thor got nervous about the wedding. And since Heimdall could not leave his observatory, Sarah took his place at the wedding and carried the sword down the aisle so Sif could give it as a gift to Thor. Though Sarah never understood it, **_(Neither do I so I had to skip it. I researched, I really did, but I was getting confused) _**she was glad to be part of it.

"Give my love to the family," Sarah says to Thor as he prepares to leave. He has a bag of her things since she never used them anymore. "Be safe."

"I promise that I will. Sarah, I thought you should know, your father got sick after you left, but he's fine now," Thor tells her.

"Thank you for being honest with me Thor. Be safe." Thor nods and smiles before leaving via the Bifrost. "Keep an eye on him for me Heimdall."

"I shall milady." Sarah smiles as mounts Saga and rides back to the stables. Sarah hears footsteps as she puts Saga's saddle away. She turns to see Gunnarr there.

"Hello Gunnarr, how are you today?" Sarah asks.

"Very well, milady. I trust you saw Prince Thor off safely," Gunnarr says walking toward her.

"Yes. I shall miss him being here but I will see him again," Sarah says with a smile. "Can I help you with something?"

"I was wondering if you would like to take a moonlight stroll through the gardens," Gunnarr tells her.

"I would love to." The Asgardian teen beams with excitement and holds his arm out to her. Sarah takes his arm in hers and leans on her new companion as they walk. Sarah finds Gunnarrs company is always refreshing, even in the five days since they had met. The walk was long but enjoyable. Two weeks later, Gunnarr takes Sarah out for a moonlight ride in the forest surrounding Asgard's great city. They smile as they reach a spring in the forest. The pair dismounts from their horses and allow them to drink. Gunnarr and Sarah settle on some rocks and Gunnarr wraps an arm around her.

"What is Midgard like?" Gunnarr asks.

"Nothing like here. Here things are much simpler. Laid back really. Where I come from, people are always moving they rarely slow down. Technology is always moving forward trying to make things better and faster. No time to enjoy the simple things like family and friends. I quite like it here," Sarah tells him looking up at the taller Asgardian.

"I wish one day to see your world," Gunnarr tells her. "It would be quite interesting, yes?"

"If you act anything like Thor, yes it should be quite interesting, Gunnarr. I hope you can see my world. Perhaps the All-father would let you come visit," Sarah suggests.

"I would move there, if it meant I could see your world and be with you," Gunnarr says. He removes his arm from around Sarah and faces her. "Sarah, I know our time together has been very brief and that we have weeks to go before you return home, but I believe I love you." He brushes the hair away from her face. "I have never met a woman like you before; I enjoy your company very much. However, I fear that we cannot be together once you leave Asgard in a month and a half."

"We'll find a way," Sarah insists. She puts her hand to his face. "When I think of you, my heart flutters. I am falling in love with you Gunnarr. You make me happier than any man I know. I will move to Asgard if I must. I do not want to lose you, ever." Gunnarr smiles softly and leans toward the blond in front of him. They kiss passionately. The other kisses they had before now, they were soft and quick, but this one was passionate.

"I do not wish to lose you, my love." Gunnarr smiles softly against her cheek as he says those words. It had started out as friendship, but now it was turning into something very different than either had expected.

Two weeks later, Sarah finds herself backed into a corner on an adventure.

"This does not look good," Sif says softly. The pair had been separated from the Warriors Three on a trip to one of the other Realms for a trip through a forest. At the moment, Sarah was having difficulties recalling where they were exactly. The evil wolves surround them. Someone's magic had enchanted these wolves. Sif determined it could be Karnilla causing trouble again.

"Why didn't we bring Loki? Oh yes, you thought he'd get into trouble!" Sarah snaps at Sif. She thinks quickly, sparks on her fingertips. The grass under one of the wolves bursts into flames long enough that the pair can run again. Sif hears the arrow coming but Sarah is three lengths ahead of her. Sarah is tackled by the side by a form. The form grunts at the impact of the arrow as a magic ward surrounds them all. Loki emerges from the trees and checks on his sister-in-law before running to Sarah's aid.

"Gunnarr!" Sarah cries as she lays her companion on his back so he doesn't lie on the arrow. The young Asgardian puts his hand to her face with a soft smile.

"Cry not," Gunnarr whispers to her. He moves his hand to her heart, reaching under the armor to but his warm fingers on her skin. "I will always be with you, right there. So cry not, milady."

"Oh Gunnarr," Sarah whimpers. She kisses her companion softly on the lips as they had so many times during late nights in the palace. "I do not want you to leave me. Please, Gunnarr."

"I must, my love. I am glad I got to love once before I died." Sarah kisses him again. She feels him grow stiff and coddles his head in her arms. She wails in despair over the loss. Sif cuts the arrow shaft so it no longer protrudes from his chest. Fandral, Hogun, and Volstagg come running and freeze stiff upon the sight. Loki kneels next to her and wraps an arm around the blond. He had seen how attached Sarah had become to Gunnarr. She carries Gunnarr back into Asgard and watches the funeral procession silently. The look on her face has no words. She silently returns to her bedroom and settles down on the bed in a ball. Loki walks in and sits next to her. He strokes her hair as she holds back the tears.

"I would have stayed for him," Sarah whispers looking up at Loki slowly, "or taken him home with me. I wanted to show him Midgard." Loki brings the child into his lap and holds her close as she cries. He comforts her the best he can. Frigga comes into the room a while later to see a sleeping Sarah in Loki's lap as her son strokes her hair softly.

"She just fell asleep a few minutes a go," Loki tells his mother. "She cried herself to sleep. I believe she was falling in love with the boy." Frigga lets in a guard that sets a chest down on the floor. "The boy's things?"

"Everything he had while staying in the palace. He left a note that if he were to ever die serving her that his things were hers. I'll tell Sigyn you're staying with her tonight. Good night Loki."

"Thank you, Mother. Good night." Loki moves slowly on the bed. The god pulls back the sheets and lays the blond down. She curls up in a ball as Loki pulls of the armor he's wearing. He lies down next to her and she huddles into his side. He kisses her forehead and holds her close. He thinks back to the last time that he had slept next to Sarah; it had been about three weeks since she came to visit. She had been quite homesick and some of her nightmares had returned. He held her close like he used to hold his daughter when she had nightmares. Sometime through the night, Sigyn had joined them and she rubbed circles on Sarah's back and arms to soothe the child. That was the first night that Sigyn called her sister.

The next week, Sarah did nothing but train with Brunnhilde who could not deny her student lessons. The Warriors Three and Sif denied her lessons, stating she was distraught. Even a fun mishap with magic when Loki was teaching her could not cheer up the mourning teen. She finally snapped out of it when Odin took her to the side and talked to her about death of loved ones. His reasoning was that she had helped put his family back together. When she woke the next morning, she was old Sarah, just a little sadder. Loki fixed that by tagging along where she went and making her laugh when he used magic to cheer her up.

* * *

**_THE MOVIE CONNECTIONS in the previous chapter are as follows: _**

**_Push: CAPTAIN AMERICA IS THE STAR! Yep, Chris Evans stars in it. Love the movie._**

**_Van Helsing: I can't believe no one got this one. I keep mentioning it! Logan is Van Helsing! You know, Hugh Jackman plays both characters._**

**_Zodiac: Mark and Robert, yep, Bruce Banner and Tony Stark worked together in this movie. If I recall, Mark was a cop and Rob was a newspaper guy. I haven't seen the actual movies, I can't get my hands on it. :(_**

**_Star Trek: I know why no one got this. His role is literally like five minutes long! But Chris Hemsworth is in the opening scene as Captain James Kirk's dad. (The blond in the blue suit with piercing blue eyes at the beginning of the movie that pilots the ship into the enemy ship. Yeah, my family is full of geeks. I've seen every Star Trek movie my dad has. It's sad, it really is.)_**

**_ 13 Going on 30: Mark again, he's the co-star in this._**

**_Eight-Legged Freaks: Scarlett plays one of the main characters in this. I find it ironic, she plays Black Widow and was in a movie called Eight Legged Freaks. _**

**_Hush: This one is *drum roll please* Gwyneth Paltrow! She stares in it. It's a horror flick. I had to look up a movie for her. I've never seen it. _**

**_Unfortunately, in the time span in real life, I could not include Hurt Locker or Bourne Legacy (Jeremy Renner), for Tom Hiddleston it would have been War Horse, and for Samuel L. Jackson, well I was between S.W.A.T. (with Jeremy in it) and a few other ones. _**

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NEXT!

I want your opinions on Gunnarr (pronounced Gunnar, like gunner), I thought it would be cute if Sarah met someone she liked in Asgard, but that's just me. Plus I wanted her to lose interest in Peter as that type so Gunnarr was born. Yes Gunnarr is an actual name!

To all those that answered, or attempted to answer, my questions from previous chapter, thank you! Here's a cyber cookie from my ISD teacher, (I got a free one for a meeting I had to go to today).

Nextly, (ha, not even a word), I've been super busy so sorry for the late update. I had a King Arthur project (I did the Round Table, made it out of cardboard, I'm proud of myself), followed by a wedding on Saturday (if you want a fun wedding and you're under twenty, go to one where the people are over 15 years older than you, they do whatever the hell they want and it's fun to sit back and watch), and I've been running around like a chicken with my head cut off because of school and NHS papers, and an econ paper. Plus I had to fix my car yesterday (tire rotation) and unfortunately I have to balance said tires on said car because now my car is shaking. Thank Odin that I have a automotive class where Fridays are shop days. So again, SORRY! I'm sure no one reads this, if you did, say SPN on your review and I'll mention your name in the next chapter if you want in the author's note.

AND LASTLY!

MORE QUESTIONS!

1) Could you see Sarah dropping out of school because of the stress? Like if she worked with the team more and unforeseen things happen?

2) One of my last questions mentioned Barney Barton. Here's the accompanying question, I have an OC in mind, he's Barney's kid but he's a lot like Clint, would you hate him if the OC came in?

3) Can you send some prank/family game things for the family to do? (I was deprived of these so I'm clueless)

4) Remote island or remote Alaskan wilderness?

5) If Sarah was ever to leave the family for an extended period of time, who do you think she'd take with her?

6) How do you feel about time travel? (Past or future)

7) Can you give me a review, please! IT FEEDS THE PLOT BUNNIES!

8) I just thought of this. Anyone want to do any fanart for this, let me know because I want to see and I might, if it's good enough, use it as the picture for the story!


	10. The Daughter Returns

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE AVENGERS OR HALF THE CHARACTERS IN THIS STORY. MARVEL DOES. I own Sarah Natasha Rogers, SJ Rogers and a few minor characters, that's it.**

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**SPECIAL SHOUT OUT TO DRAGONEISHA AND BOOKWORM WHO READ ALL OF MY LAST AUTHOR'S NOTE! SPECIAL SHOUT OUT TO PunKellyfan WHO READ ALL THE CHAPTERS IN ONE DAY! **

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Friday December 20st, the day of Sarah's return. On Earth, the Avengers are getting ready quickly. It was shortly after noon and Sarah was due back any time now. They have a Christmas tree up with presents piled under it. There are lights hanging all around the room. The Avengers wait patiently for Sif's doorway to appear on the terrace of the Tower. Thor had told them that the Sarah that was coming home wasn't completely the Sarah they remember. She had a bit of Asgardian fun mixed in her now.

"She's coming home," Natasha giggles happily to Steve as her fiancé gets dressed for the event that night. "How different do you think she'll be?"

"Hopefully not too much different," Steve answers as he adjusts his tie for the umpteenth time. "Natasha, can you fix my tie? It's just not cooperating." Natasha laughs softly as she walks over to Steve and removes the tie. She smoothes the creases in the tie before putting it back on Steve. Her fingers work slowly to secure the tie, giving Steve more than enough time to examine every little feature on his love's face. He nuzzles a piece of red hair out of her eyes as she works.

"How is that?" she asks.

"Much better. You know, I don't know whether to be proud or worried that my fiancée could kill me with my own tie with me being powerless to stop her," Steve muses as he brushes the pesky strand of hair back with his fingers. Natasha chuckles again as she wraps her fingers in his tie.

"Now sweetheart, you know I'd never kill you. Stark on the other hand, if I ever have to fix his tie, I'm not sure I could resist the temptation," Natasha continues to chuckle menacingly.

"Tony's not that bad."

"Just wait until he goes through one of his 'I'm dying' things again. You'll wait to kill him," Natasha insists.

"Well, right now, all I'm thinking about is kissing you." Steve leaves down and tries to kiss her.

"Sarah will be home in less than an hour," Natasha warns.

"Just a kiss, Tasha."

"That's what you said the first time we kissed, look where we are now," Natasha teases.

"Tasha," Steve whines. Natasha smirks before kissing Steve softly on the lips. She pushes him back to their bed and forces him to sit. She kneels over him with a leg on either side. Steve smiles as he kisses his beautiful fiancée. They deepen the kiss, Steve's hand dragging through her hair and down her neck to her chest.

"Ah, ah, ah, soldier," Natasha warns, "save that for later. We have daughter to collect."

"Natasha, you never make things easy," Steve mutters as he kisses her on the cheek.

"Now where would the fun be if I made things easy?" The pair walks off to where the rest of the gang is waiting for Sarah. SJ looks at his parents fondly before bugging Thor about when his sister would be home. Natasha and Steve would never admit it, but they wanted to bug Thor about it as well.

"Fandral!" Sarah shouts.

"What is it you demand of me?" the blond demands from down in the garden.

"Horses get them ready," Sif answers as she steps up next to Sarah. "Men, they never learn."

"That I can agree with you, Lady Sif," Sarah mutters. She's dressed in Asgardian clothes as usual since she preferred to dress like Sif. When in Asgard, do as the Asgardians do, right?

"Frigga has prepared a dress for you. We know that tonight you have that event to attend for Tony Stark," Sif states. "She would like you to wear it." Sarah follows Sif into the room she had been using for the past months. She'd be taking some things home with her. She had a sword that Odin is letting her keep. It's perfectly balanced and the handle is a dark blue. She has a bracer that is identical to the shield gauntlet on her right arm resting on her left. Her hair, which had grown out some, it naturally spiked to look like wind was in her face. She has no scars to show but her many adventures had taken their toll. Sif was sending her home with a hairpiece that Sarah likes as well as a books with stories to share with her friends about Asgard, her time in Asgard, and tales from when Sif and Thor were children. Fandral had given her the tooth of a bear they had defeated while on a quest. Hogun gave her a small journal recounting their adventures as the Warriors Three would describe them. And Volstagg, well, he had given her a bear hug the day before.

"Frigga shouldn't have," Sarah insists.

"She wants you to be stunning," Sif chuckles. "Odin will say goodbye to you before you leave, as will Loki." Sarah smiles as she thinks about Loki. She had managed to convince Odin to let him out with her on some adventures and the god had had fun with her. She lost the manners necklace in the battle that took Gunnarr from her. Loki had gone back to the forest but never found it. She misses the necklace. Loki had also taught Sarah some small magic tricks since she had a natural talent for them. Must be the trickster in her.

Two servants are waiting when they reach Sarah's dressing room. Sarah stands behind the changing curtain and removes her 'lounge' clothes she had been in after her bath this morning. The bath had been necessary since she and Sif had fought Fandral and Hogun early in the morning for waking them up.

"Wow," Sarah whispers looking at the dress Frigga had picked out. She thinks back to her first few encounters with Unnr and determines that Frigga had the dress planned from the start. The servants quickly put her in her upper underclothing to give her support before helping her into the dress. The dress has a bateau neckline with sleeves that go down to her wrists. The cloth at the wrists is larger in diameter than the rest of the sleeve and a bit longer than Sarah's arms giving it a bit of old time elegance to it. The dress goes all the way down to her ankles and she can see Sif holding a pair of heels in her hand. Across the chest is a solid silver piece of metal that wraps around the neckline to keep the cloth in place. The metal has intricate patterns on it giving it an elegance Sarah had never seen before. Around her waist, a lighter metal band marks her waist and allows the material to go from skintight to looser. Down the sleeves and the sides of the dress is a complementing dark red threading about two centimeters wide. Fitted right under the metal neckline where her heart is a red gem sits softly there. The dark blue fabric is beautiful on Sarah.

"You look beautiful," Sif insists. "Like an Asgardian goddess."

"You're over doing it, Sif." Sif smiles and slips the silver hairpiece into Sarah's hair. It weaves in and out of her hair, giving it the illusion that there is more than one piece in her hair. The metal is crafted in a way that it looks a bit like waves in her hair. Sif pushes Sarah to sit and slips the semi-high heels on her. Sarah relaxes when she realizes they have a bit of a boot feel to them.

"I suppose I should go say goodbye," Sarah whispers. Sif smiles and picks up Sarah's bag and sword for her. The pair walks through the halls of Asgard quietly until they reach the throne room. Sarah breathes in deeply before walking through the door. The Asgardians are there waiting. Balder and Sigyn all stand to one side. Sarah notes Sigyn is happy, the couple must have reached an agreement in their marriage. Good for Loki and Sigyn, they could stop fighting now. Speaking of Loki, he waits next to Frigga and Odin for her. The Prince was accepted again, thanks to a little family counseling. Fandral, who looks exhausted, stands next to Hogun and Volstagg waiting for Sif and Sarah.

"Young Sarah, we are sad to see you leaving us so soon," Odin states as she approaches. "You have helped repair our family. You have earned the respect of many in the Asgard. You are one of a few mortals to have ever stepped foot in Asgard and returned to your home. You are welcome here."

"Thank you, All-Father. It was an honor to be here and learn here." Brunhilde, who runs from whatever side door she had used, joins Balder's side.

"Go home with the knowledge you have learned. Enjoy yourself. And use your new gifts wisely." Sarah bows and the All-Father leaves the room. Sarah starts with the three she knew the least.

"Brunhilde, I will miss my training with the Valkeries, but I promise to put it to good use," Sarah swears.

"That is good, my student. You made your ancestors proud." Sarah smiles and Brunhilde holds something out. Sarah takes it and smiles at the dagger. "It is made from the same substance Thor's hammer is. I asked the All-Father to put an enchantment on it. Only you or those you deem worthy may use it, uru is a precious metal and must not fall in the wrong hands. I give this to you, not as your master, but as a friend who wants you to protect your homeland. May it serve you faithfully always. It does not have any talents, but I'm sure it would enhance your magic."

"Thank you, Brunhilde. I will use it." The two hug briefly before Sarah moves on to Sigyn. "I take it the therapy went okay and you've settled your issues?"

"Yes. Loki and I are happy now. No more bad feelings over the eyes, or anything else for that matter."

"That is good to hear. I shall miss our talks." The two hug and Sarah turns to Balder. "You have taught me much, Lord Balder. Thank you."

"Be safe in life's journeys, young one." Sarah nods and moves across the row to Fandral.

"I will miss you," Fandral states. "You must come visit. So many more taverns to start brawls in." Sarah laughs and hugs the blond.

"Yes, we must do that again. And stop ticking off the Valkeries, they're going to kill you one of these days." Fandral laughs at the comment. Sarah hugs Hogun.

"I will miss your silence, Hogun."

"And I will miss your ability to get these two to do as they're told." Sarah laughs at the memories flooding her mind. No words are exchanged as she and Volstagg hug. The rest of the room clears out leaving Sarah with Frigga, Loki, and Sif.

"You," Frigga starts as she draws nearer to the blond, "have become quite dear to me. You brought back my son. You have earned a place in my heart for the rest of eternity."

"Thank you, Lady Frigga. I shall not forget your kindness so long as I live." Frigga smiles and softly hugs the blond before walking off. Sif turns away as Sarah approaches Loki.

"I shall miss you, Sarah," Loki says softly. He brings the back of his fingertips up to her face and brushes them against her skin. "You have reminded me that we can defy destiny."

"I will miss you too, Loki. You are dear to me, and you always will be," Sarah insists.

"I got you something, with Odin's permission of course. Since I taught you magic here, your powers won't be as great back on Earth for quite some time as you adapt to life there again. So this gem," he says holding it up on a soft silver chain, "will give you the power to use them. It contains some of my magic energy, as well as some from Odin. I also had something put on the back metal casing." Sarah takes it and looks at the metal. L & S is on there with a small sword under them. The gem is a soft deep green but beautiful, not repulsive. She slips it on with a smile. Sarah hugs Loki firmly and buries her face in his neck.

"I'll come visit when I get the chance, I promise," Sarah insists.

"I would like that, sister," Loki murmurs softly in her ear. Their adventures together had caused the pair to become close. Sarah sees Loki not as an uncle, but as a protective older brother. Loki sees her as the little sister he had never had, one that needed someone to watch over her. He pulls her chin up and leans down to kiss her cheek. Sarah, now 6'0", inches up just slightly. Loki's lips brush her cheek for a second and she kisses his cheek back. The tears roll down her face as she holds him close for a few seconds more. Loki had become family to her.

"If you ever need me, you know where to find me."

"Of course." Sarah runs off to Sif's side before she changed her mind about leaving. Loki jumps when he feels a hand land on his shoulder. He looks over to see Odin there.

"My son, why didn't you tell me you had such strong feelings for her?" Odin questions.

"We are family, I thought it obvious."

"Then why not join her family in Midgard?" Odin inquires.

"They would not let me return if I wanted," Loki mutters.

"How do you know, if you have not asked? You will last less than one month before you demand to go to Earth," Odin says offhandedly as he walks away. "If you make it two, I owe Fandral a new horse." Loki can't help but laugh.

"I will miss you Sif," Sarah says hugging her best friend in Asgard.

"And I you. Give Thor a kiss for me."

"I will." Sif hands Sarah her bag and sword. Sarah puts the sword on her back and puts the bag over her shoulder. She walks up to Heimdall and hugs him.

"I will watch over you, little one," Heimdall says.

"Thank you. And thanks for all the talks when I was homesick." Heimdall smiles and Sarah returns to Sif's side. Sif's way of going to Earth was less destructive. Sif opens the way to Earth and Sarah steps through with a soft smile on her lips. When she steps onto Stark Tower, she can't help but smile. With a swift movement, her sword is now carried in her hand along with the bag. She looks at the door into the building and hurries toward it careful not to tear the dress. Sarah opens the doors only to be greeted by the smiling faces of the Avengers Family waiting for her arrival. Sarah sets her bag and sword down on the couch and starts to hug her family. They were all dressed up for the event later in the afternoon already so she didn't feel uncomfortable. The first person she reaches is Clint, who is now out of the wheelchair, and she hugs him closely.

"When did you get super super strong?" Clint demands.

"Asgard changes people," Sarah answers. "Don't worry, it's temporary. Give it two hours. I'm glad you are better."

"So am I." Sarah moves on to Bruce next.

"I must say, it is a relief to have you back. This last week has driven your mother up the wall," Bruce laughs hugging her.

"Good to see you too Bruce. Brought you a present," Sarah says with a smile. She reaches into her bag and retrieves a book from inside. She holds it out to him. "This is a book given to me. It translates into the language the reader knows best. It has thousands of stories and quite a bit of information on Asgardian science." Bruce smiles broadly, as he takes the book from her.

"You made his day," Pepper chuckles hugging her. "It's good to have you back. It was weird having only Natasha for girl company."

"I have to show you some of the sketches I have of Asgardian clothes. They are beautiful. You would love them," Sarah chuckles.

"You will. Nice dress."

"It was a gift." Tony hugs her next and smiles down at her.

"I have missed you. Do you know how much harder your brother is to bribe to go into the vents and play pranks on others?" Tony demands.

"Yes. I've missed you too Tony. Oh, I like how you forgot how to mention that after a month my gauntlet is thought activated."

"It slipped my mind." Sarah rolls her eyes and moves on. Thor is next. The God of Thunder smiles at the dress.

"That dress is very becoming of you. It brings both my mother's elegance and conservative attitude and Sif's warrior look. It is very nice. The necklace?"

"A gift from your brother to replace the blue one, but this one doesn't have the manners attachment," Sarah answers as she hugs the god. "He misses you."

"And I him. Is Father letting him roam free now?"

"Yes. He's a changed person now. Saved Sif and I a month or so ago. Oh," Sarah says before kissing Thor on the cheek, "that's from Sif." Thor chuckles at the thought of Sif. "She always wanted me to tell you that it happened." Thor's eyes widen. Sarah knows that Sif is pregnant with her and Thor's child. She just didn't want to say it in front of all of the Avengers. "She wants you to stay here until she has Heimdall call for you." Thor nods.

"Thank you for the news."

"My pleasure."

"Gunnarr?" Thor inquires.

"He is no longer with us, took an arrow for me," she whispers. Thor hugs her again. Thor moves off and Sarah hugs SJ tightly.

"Sis, can't breathe!"

"Sorry SJ. It's just so good to see you again."

"I know the feeling. You still owe me a sparring match." Sarah laughs and roughs up his hair. She moves on to Phil who is waiting there as well.

"Back to school," Phil states with a smile. "It's good to see you Sarah."

"Feeling is mutual," Sarah says with a smile. They hug and Sarah moves on finally to her parents. Natasha holds her close in her arms.

"I love you, my princess," Natasha murmurs.

"I love you too Mom." They hug for a few more moments, Natasha's make up running a little. They break apart and Sarah turns to Steve. He smiles, a single tear in his eye. He hugs his daughter tightly and she buries her face in his neck.

"I've missed you Dad," she whispers.

"God I've missed you," he replies. "I almost had Thor bring me for a visit I missed you so much." Sarah smiles and squeezes him again. She breaks away with a smile.

"Hey JARVIS, it's good to know you're around."

"The feeling is mutual," JARVIS replies.

"So, what did you bring home with you?" SJ asks motioning to the bag.

"Some clothes and things people gave me. A book with stories about Asgard, another about time in Asgard, and Sif gave me a book of tales from when Sif and Thor were children. She knows I love to read. Fandral gave me the tooth of a bear we defeated while on a quest. Hogun gave me a small journal recounting our adventures as the Warriors Three would describe them. A dagger made of uru, same as Thor's hammer. It has a similar enchantment but no powers with it, was given to me by Brunhilde," Sarah says. The dagger flies to her hand and she shows it to the group. "The sword was the one I trained with. Odin let me keep it. It is perfectly balanced."

"You have many friends in Asgard?" Thor inquires.

"Aye I do. And what adventures I've had. Fandral was always good for a laugh. Chasing after all the pretty women. Thor, do you recall the outpost tavern you stopped at on your quest for the Sword of Surtur?" Sarah inquires.

"Yes I do. It was a fun brawl."

"We stopped there on our way out of Asgard. Of course, Loki and I had to have a bit of fun while there. But what we did not know was Fenris the Wolf was there, and one of our pranks was done on him. What an interesting fight it was. If you ever battle Fenris without your hammer again, I must suggest getting behind him and grabbing his tail. It is very effective for swinging him around and knocking down opponents particularly the Greeks. However, I will never fight a Greek again. They talk far too philosophical during a fight. Even more than Iron Fist!" Sarah laughs.

"What did you do?" SJ demands.

"Well, we sort of made Fenris's ale disappear and then reappear, dousing him in it. He remembered Loki used it on him before and that made him even more mad. Loki tried to hide behind Volstagg but it didn't work out," Sarah chuckles.

"Now that is the brother I remember," Thor laughs. "You must tell me more of these tales later, young one. It sounds like you had a good deal of fun."

"That I did."

"Put your things away and we can head to the party. You're later than we expected it, it's already 4:30," Tony states.

"I'm sorry for the delay, Tony. Sif and I got in a fight with Fandral and Hogun this morning. I had to freshen up before coming," Sarah explains taking her things off the couch.

"What did they do to cause the wrath of Sif and Sarah?" Thor inquires.

"They drunkenly woke us up with their bellows five times during the night. So, on the fifth time, we went down to the garden, fought them, and threw them into the nearest pond," Sarah explains. "Mom, do you have any makeup I can borrow?"

"I'll bring some to your room." Sarah nods and leaves the room. She walks to the elevator and returns to her room. Natasha must have cleaned it because it was freshly dusted. She sets the duffel on her bed and places the sword on her dresser. She goes to the bathroom and fixes a few pieces of hair. Her bedroom door opens and Natasha comes in.

"Do you mind putting it on?" Sarah asks Natasha.

"It'll be my pleasure sweetie. Are you glad to be home?" Natasha inquires.

"Yes, I've missed everyone dearly. But I left behind people I care about there," Sarah murmurs softly.

"Close your eyes." Sarah does and Natasha starts to apply the eye makeup. "You miss Sif?"

"Yes, she's become like a sister to me. She watched out for me. But she is not the only one. The Warriors Three are my friends. Frigga took very good care of me. But there is two others I miss as well," Sarah hints. Natasha puts her hand to Sarah's cheek as a single tear runs down her face. "They are very dear to me."

"Loki."

"Yes."

"Was what you said true? Is he a changed person?"

"Yes. He taught me some magic. I helped him repair his relationship with Odin and Frigga as well as his wife Sigyn. I…he's like an older brother to me," Sarah confesses.

"Well, I suppose he could be family," Natasha remarks as she finishes the eye makeup. She left off the mascara; Sarah's lashes are perfect already.

"The other?"

"A boy I got to know there. I developed strong feelings for him," Sarah says softly.

"What happened?" Natasha inquires.

"He died saving my life."

"What was his name?"

"Gunnarr son of Ragnar."

"I wish I could have met him dear." Natasha adds just a tone redder lip-gloss to Sarah's lip before they call it good.

"Are you two ready yet?" Clint asks from just outside Sarah's door. The two girls come out and they follow Clint down to the waiting limo in the parking lot.

"The super crew, MJ, Gwen, and Harry will meet us there," Tony informs Sarah. "I had a limo pick them up already."

"All of them are coming?" Sarah asks shocked.

"Yes. There are a lot of SHIELD personnel coming along with military, government, press, and other friends of mine from the business," Tony explains. "Also, the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters is sending some of their students to come as well. Laura is among them."

"This is going to be interesting," Sarah mutters.

"Well, if it makes you feel better, Harry and Gwen know about Peter and the gang," SJ states. Sarah rolls her eyes. "Peter's looking forward to seeing you today."

"Shut up SJ," Sarah states causing everyone in the limo to chuckle. They arrive at the dance hall that Tony had borrowed for the night. There were already a good number of guests there, along with the second Stark limo.

"Where are they?" MJ demands.

"Mary Jane, calm down," Harry says. "I'm sure they'll be here soon. Maybe they got caught up in traffic, or Sarah's flight was late."

"Harry, how many times do we have to go over this," Sam snarls.

"Public," Harry answers shortly.

"Oh, right." Mary Jane and Harry had come together as a couple, much to Peter's chagrin. Gwen's "date" was Danny, the gentlemen of course. Ava and Luke were a couple for the night. So only Sam didn't have a partner for any of the dances, well, he was sure he could convince the girls to dance with him once. Or maybe one of the X-Men. Speaking of the X-Men, they walk into the giant ballroom with tables, a stage, and a myriad of chairs around the room.

Storm has her arm entwined in Logan's arm. Storm wears a lovely dress that shows that the she has a marvelous body. Charles and another woman, they later learned her name was Dr. Moira MacTaggert an old friend of the professor's, walk in hand in hand. Scott walks in with Emma Frost on his arm. The pair seems happy, which was something new since Jean's death two months prior. Rogue and another man, Gambit, walk in tentatively. Rogue has almost all her skin covered protecting Gambit from her powers. However, he still tries to steal a kiss. Bobby Drake has an arm around Kitty Pryde's waist holding her close. Kurt walks in with the Scarlet Witch, Wanda, on his arm. Laura comes in behind them looking around bored. The last person in the group is a girl with black hair and a spunky look to her. Her name is Jubilee. Rogue takes Jubilee's hand and leads her over to the super group.

"Rogue good to see you again," Mary Jane laughs.

"The feelin' is mutual. Sam," Rogue says and Sam looks away from Jubilee to look at Rogue, "Ah want yah to meet Jubilee. She needs a dancing partner and Ah thought you could be it."

"I'd love to be. I'm Sam Alexander," Sam says holding his hand out to Jubilee.

"Jubilee," she replies taking his hand.

"Let's get to know each other. The Avengers crew still hasn't shown up yet. Even the Fantastic Four are here already," Sam complains. Rogue glances over and sees Sue, Johnny (who looked a lot like Steve), Reed, and Ben there. "And the Pyms, they're here too."

"They're pulling up," Ava answers putting her phone away somewhere in that tight dress of hers. "SJ just sent me a message. Sarah was late getting home." The group continues to chat and eventually the rest of the X-Men teens come over.

"Uh, Peter, isn't that Sarah?" Laura asks. Everyone turns to see that the Avengers have arrived. SJ runs over to Laura, who he'd be dancing with and smiles broadly. "SJ, is that your sister?"

"Yep." Peter makes his way through the group to the steps of the ballroom. He walks up them where Sarah is shrugging off her jacket and handing it to Clint to put up.

"Sarah," Peter says softly. Sarah turns and smiles brightly at the Web-Slinger. "It is you. You look amazing."

"Thank you Peter. You look great yourself."

"I feel underdressed compared to you," Peter tells her.

"Oh, well I got this dress as a gift. Sorry," Sarah whispers.

"No, no it's fine! It's just, you're so beautiful."

"Who is the designer?" a reporter asks coming up to Sarah.

"Uh, I don't know actually. It was a gift. Handmade," Sarah answers. "Come on Peter." Peter extends his arm and Sarah winds her arm through it. They walk down the stairs to the group of awaiting teens.

"I have to know, where did you get that dress?" Mary Jane pleads.

"Thor's mom," Sarah answers shortly. "It was a going away present. I've missed you guys!" Sarah and the group exchange hugs and Peter wraps an arm around Sarah's waist.

"So why were you late coming back?" Ava asks.

"Lady Sif and I got in a confrontation with two of our friends and I had to wash up afterwards," Sarah answers. "You have to come over sometime and I'll tell you some good stories. Hey, anyone know why the press is allowed in?" She knew most of the Avengers identities were common knowledge for people that had seen them.

"Oh, they're not allowed to do camera shots other than the ones ordered by Fury," Laura explains. "So like a handful of shots of the people the public knows, and no real names for the most part."

"Parker!" Everyone jumps at the loud voice of J. Jonah Jameson erupting ten feet away. The politician, newsman, and general imbecile, walks up to the group and glares at Parker. "Just what are you doing here, Parker? Aren't you supposed to be off chasing Spider-Man or something?"

"Uh."

"Well boy?"

"Mr. Jameson," Sarah says sweetly causing the older man to look at her, "Peter is my date for tonight. That's what he's doing here."

"And who are you?"

"Sarah Rogers," Tony answers coming up behind Jonah. "I thought I told you to stop pestering my guests and friends. Sarah, your mother would like to speak to you. Something about Mr. Eye-Patch or something."

"Thanks Tony. I'll be right back Peter." Tony leveled a glare at Jonah who quickly runs off.

"You all right Peter?"

"Yeah, thanks Tony. He wanted me to cover this event in the first place so I guess he has a right to be mad," Peter mutters.

"Ignore him, he's all talk," Tony mutters. "So these are the Professor's students. Rogue, Scott, Laura pleasure to see you again. At least this time it's not a matter of life and death," Tony says pleasantly.

"Thank you for inviting us, Mr. Stark," Scott replies.

"This is a vonderful party, Herr Stark," Kurt says.

"I'm glad you came. And I do not believe I've met you two," Tony says looking at Gwen and Harry.

"Harry Osborn," Harry says holding his hand out to Tony.

"Ah, my rival in a few years. Good to know Sarah's friends with you, if I piss her off, she'll come to you for toys. Pleasure to have you here Harry." Tony's smile is contagious and Harry smiles back.

"I'm Gwen Stacy," Gwen says shaking Tony's hand. "I go to school with Sarah."

"Yes, she's told the family about you as well. Very good friend. I'm glad Sarah has such good friends."

"Told the family?" Harry inquires.

"Ah yes, I suppose you don't know, do you? Sarah and SJ, they live with me and their parents in Stark Tower. We're one big messed up family," Tony explains. "Well, I have a speech to go make. You all might want to head for your seats." Tony walks away giving Harry and Gwen the chance to stare down Peter and MJ.

"You didn't tell us that fact."

"Wasn't allowed to," Luke answers. "But Tony has a big mouth so that figures." Peter glances across to see Sarah and Natasha having a heated argument.

"I should go see what that's about," SJ mutters handing his drink to Laura. "I'll be right back." SJ walks over.

"Mom, no. No one is stupid enough to attack now," Sarah snarls.

"No, they're smart enough to. Steve doesn't have his shield, Tony is without his armor, Clint's only has some knives on him, Bruce can't let the Hulk out, and Thor doesn't have his hammer," Natasha shoots back. "They made the threat against you." Sarah rolls her sleeve up and reveals the gauntlet. With a thought, a small shield the size of Sarah's fist appears between them.

"Thought activated. I will be fine. It's SJ you should be worried about."

"Damn it Sarah, this is not up for an argument. I'm having Peter take you home now."

"They'll strike the Tower instead. Smart idea!"

"All right folks, let's get in our seats for a little bit," Tony says from the podium. He scans the crowds for any faces he doesn't want to see. Natasha and Sarah go to their seats at different tables.

"What was that about?" Peter asks as he puts an arm around Sarah's shoulders.

"It's nothing Pete. Don't worry." Peter rolls his eyes.

"Welcome to the first Avengers fundraiser for the families of service men and women. Your donations are going to help them fix their homes for disabled vets; pay bills, and buys them their prosthetics among other things. For the first official time, I give you the Avengers!" Tony shouts causing applauses. From their seats, Clint, Thor, Steve, Natasha, and Bruce walk up to the stage and join Tony on stage. "Cap, you got anything to say?"

"I'd like to say that I hope this will be the first of many events we do for the families," Steve answers with a smile. "I'd also like to introduce a future Avenger if everything goes right. She's already been training to join our ranks and I hope one day that she might take over for her old man." Sarah's face dropped. Shit, that had to be her. But where did Fury get permission to let her be announced to the world? "My daughter Sarah Rogers." Peter smiles and pulls Sarah's seat back for her.

"You knew about this," Sarah accuses.

"Yep. He said he'll let you kick his ass later." Sarah stands up and cautiously walks up to the stage and joins Steve and Natasha.

"She still has a few years, but a slot on the Avengers is already wide open for her. She's proven herself without a doubt," Steve chuckles.

"You're dead," Sarah whispers softly to him as they hug.

"I know. But Fury thought it would be a nice thing to show the Avengers are a family and that we're not going anywhere any time soon."

"Can I kick his ass too?"

"He's got a special Christmas present for you," Steve answers.

"I still might kick his ass." They left the stage and Tony went on about some things for a while. Dinner was revealed and Sarah relaxed with Peter keeping her from killing Fury now. The first dance had just ended and Sarah was letting go of Peter's hand so they could switch partners when the windows were blown in.

"SARAH!" Natasha yells across the room. Sarah's sleeve is up instantly and the shield on her arm flies at the idiot climbing through the window.

"CIVILIANS OUT NOW!" Steve yells as loud as he can. Peter and the gang start changing under a few of the tables. But it didn't help because five spheres landed in the room and emitted a gas.

"Sleeping gas!" Clint yells. Sarah sprints across the room and grabs Rogue who was about to be hit by the glass of the window behind her blowing out.

"Get out of here," Sarah orders Rogue. She creates a shield and hands it to Rogue. "Go, now!" Rogue sends the shield flying at someone that about to hit Tony in the head with a butt of a gun. Sarah coughs loudly as the gas gets in her lungs.

"Sarah, Sarah stay with me." Sarah's hand glows a soft blue and the gases started to disappear. But it didn't help those who had breathed it in. Rogue collapses on top of Sarah and Sarah's eyes flutter closed.

"Sarah!" Natasha screams when she wakes up and doesn't see her daughter where she had been. Steve wakes up as well and scans the room for her.

"Rogue! Rogue!" Scott bellows.

"Cher!" Gambit yells looking for his girl.

"They're not here," Charles says sitting up. "Logan, can you track them?"

"I got a scent," Logan answers. "I'll start tracking it and call when I find something. Call when you're prepared to join me."

"I'm coming with you," Peter snarls pulling his mask out. "I can keep an eye up top."

"Go, we'll join you soon," Steve insists.

"Peter, can I come with you?" Natasha asks.

"Yes ma'am." Peter pulls on his mask and removes the rest of his tux. Luke takes it for him and Peter wraps an arm around Natasha before slinging off.

Sarah groans as she comes through. She's laying on a clean bed in her dress. She touches her hair and feels the hairpiece. She checks for Loki's necklace and smiles softly upon feeling it. She sits up and looks around the room. It's a bedroom with her mural on the wall, her name written oddly all across the room. She notes that the door is an electronic lock. Really, did they think she was a newbie? A trainee even?

"You're awake," a voice says. She looks around quickly and finds the owner coming out of the bathroom. "I'm glad."

"Who are you?" Sarah demands.

"I'm disappointed you don't know who I am," he murmurs coming closer. Sarah's eyes focus and he steps out of the dim shadows. Sarah's eyes widen as he comes closer to her. She tries to shrink back on the bed but her body screams out in pain as electricity pulses through her. She looks at her wrists. She hadn't seen the clear substance there but she still recognizes it. The cords are small but in them course a lot of electricity. There had been slack on both wrists when she sat up but when she moved, the one had no slack causing the shock.

"I remember you never did like this," he says motioning at the cords, "but they're one of the few things you never tried to fight. I heard about what you did to the corporation, amazing. I thought they had killed you after I left considering we had that little incident. But they didn't. And I must say, you are far more appealing now than you ever were back then. So young. So innocent. So beautiful." Sarah cringes as he sits down on the bed next to her. He takes her hand softly in his. Then he raises his hand to her face and strokes the skin softly. "And you're all mine now."

"Please, Max, no," Sarah cries softly. Max smiles evilly before capturing Sarah's lips in a forceful kiss causing her to cry.**  
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**So, I got six official reviews last chapter and I've been carrying on conversations with a few others. (You know who you are.) Can we get the number up higher, say ten official reviews people? PLEASE?**

**So no questions, but you can like go back and answer the other questions if you want. I'd appreciate the input. Um... What else was I going to say? **

**AH YES! If you have questions, feel free to message me. I like talking with readers, it's fun. **

**Also, something ironic I found about this chapter. There was the whole "heel shoes" toward the beginning, here's the irony, I hate heel shoes, guess what I war to the reception I had to go to tonight? High heeled shoes! That about killed me. **


	11. Max and the Aftermath

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE AVENGERS OR HALF THE CHARACTERS IN THIS STORY. MARVEL DOES. I own Sarah Natasha Rogers, SJ Rogers and a few minor characters, that's it.**

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**THIS CHAPTER IS A LITTLE, um... weird. Yeah let's say weird. No flames!**

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Max Wolf or 13()1()24 (-)23()15()12()6 **(Do you know how hard it was to get that number to actually show up on the document? I had to use the () as . and - instead. WTF!)** as he was officially known is not a person you screw with. You piss him off and you had better kiss your ass goodbye. However, he had a soft spot for one person. Sarah Rogers. When she was smaller, he had been her cellmate. He was dangerous and so was she. They figured that they'd kill each other in the end and hey, two birds with one stone, right?

Wrong. The opposite happened, they got close because they could relate. At first it was Max giving her extra food, that escalated to Max teaching Sarah how to talk, and from there it went to developing a bond and then chasing each other's nightmares away for each other. When inducing them with drugs to kill each other didn't work either, they went to plan X (yes they got all the way to X). They ordered Max to mate with Sarah. Max was 16 years old and Sarah had been 13. Max refused, he loved Sarah too much to hurt her like that. So they were going to go to plan Y, artificially mating. They were curious to see what Max, a genetically altered human after birth, and Sarah, a clone with the genetics already altered, would produce. They managed to get Sarah alone one day when Max was training. When Max found out, he was furious. He promised he'd take Sarah away from all of the Corporation and that they could be safe finally. They got as far as the compound wall. Sarah was shot from behind and fell from the top of the wall back into the compound. Max was already out and had no way to get her back. So he ran. The pregnancy was a miscarriage. They learned Sarah's body could sustain a child unlike Natasha. They tried again but when Sarah found out, she stabbed herself with a knife during training and killed the fetus. They didn't try it after that.

Max Wolf went on to become a mercenary. His enhanced natural abilities allowed him to pull of tasks that no other mercenary could. But he still longed for Sarah. At the time, Max hadn't been informed of his "conditioning" and Sarah found out right after they tried to escape. His conditioning had made it so he could only "love" one person. And they forced that "love" to be Sarah. So Max wouldn't be satisfied with any other woman but Sarah. For once in her life, Sarah was happy she had been locked away. Now he had found her. He must have seen her somewhere in the city, or heard about her in some underground ring. Whatever it was, she was in deep trouble. She starts to pray SHIELD can find her soon.

"Come now, love, you used to like when I kissed you," Max whispers softly brushing his hand through a free part of her hair. "You look like a queen, do you know that?"

"Please Max, I want to go home."

"You are home. This will be our home now. I have something I want to show you." Max snaps his fingers and the cords on her wrists went slack. She pulls her hands out of the loops and rubs the small burn marks as they begin to heal. Max injects her with something and thinking becomes difficult.

"What did you give me?" she slurs.

"Just something to make sure you can't think straight," Max answers. Max hauls her to her feet and leads her through the halls. Sarah memorizes the place even though she has the drugs in her. They wouldn't last too long because of the serum in her body. Max drags her into a medical lab and grabs a disk off a desk. He places it on the back of her neck. Sarah hisses as she feels something dig into the skin.

"That will keep the dosage in you," Max says. _Damn it_. Max drags her through the hallways to a room with a one-way window. Inside the room, Rogue lays strapped to a table with five unconscious men around her. She's sleeping. "What the hell?"

"You should have known who you took with me," Sarah chuckles. "Don't touch her skin."

"If you miss behave, she is punished just like you," Max snarls. "What did she do to my men?"

"Well, some might be dead, the others might be alive. Depends on how long she was in contact with their skin," Sarah answers. Max growls and drags her back to the bedroom. He points at the bed.

"Lay down." Sarah does and Max breaks out a solid metal shackle for each wrist. He shackles her and wraps the cord around her chains. "I have to go deal with your friend, but I will be back." Max kisses her and slips his hand down the front of her shirt. She kicks him and he laughs. "You will be mine," he chuckles. He leaves and Sarah looks at her wrists above her head. She concentrates really hard, which causes her to get a migraine, but manages to activate the communicator.

"Anybody there?" Sarah asks softly.

"Iron Man here. Where are you?" Tony asks.

"Not completely sure. The building is large. I haven't seen any windows yet. But there are medical labs and a containment cell," Sarah answers. "They've got Rogue in a cell strapped to a table. She's unconscious. The men that tried to examine her are either dead or passed out, I couldn't tell."

"Who did this?" Iron Man inquires.

"His name is Max Wolf. He's a genetic experiment from my imprisoned days. He's got a nasty temper but his mental condition makes him love me and me only. If I don't behave, he'll hurt both me and Rogue."

"Then don't do anything to piss him off, please," Tony pleads. "Are you okay?"

"I have a drug that's affecting my thinking process. It's really hard…concentrating to keep the communicator going," Sarah replies. "There's this disk on the back of my neck, it does something to keep the drug in."

"Can you remove it?"

"Sort of bound by electrified metal cuffs," Sarah snaps back.

"Yeah, don't screw with those then. Just hang tight and we'll find you. The tracker in your gauntlet is weak but we have an idea where to go and Logan's got your scent. Hang tight."

"Got it Iron Man. I'm going to pass out now." Sarah releases her control of the gauntlet and lets the painful migraine force her to sleep. After about ten minutes, the migraine is gone but she still can't think clearly. The door to the room opens and Sarah looks to see Max there dragging Rogue in. Rogue is conscious but drugged up pretty badly by the looks of her.

"WHAT IS SHE!" Max demands.

"She absorbs people's life energy and powers through her skin," Sarah answers. "Memories too. If she's in contact with them too long they die."

"You protected that freak?"

"Me and you are freaks too," Sarah points out. Max snarls and throws Rogue into the bathroom. He locks the door and comes back over to Sarah. He punches her hard in the face causing the blond to yelp in pain.

"DO NOT GET LIPPY WITH ME!" he roars.

"Great, you're going to ruin my dress," Sarah mutters looking at her beautiful dress.

"No, I like this dress too much for that," he chuckles. He goes to the closet and grabs a pair of shorts and a tank top. After thinking a moment, he tosses them to the side and frees Sarah from her restraints. She tries to go for a shield but he pulls a gun on her.

"Don't even think about it. Strip." Sarah almost cries. She was not looking forward to what he was about to do to her. She reaches behind her back and pulls on the knot holding the dress together. She pulls the string until she can move the dress easily. There's a reason she had people helping her with this dress, it's a little hard to get in and out of. She pulls the fabric up away before laying it out on the chair next to the bed. She puts the hairpiece inside of the sleeves.

"The gauntlets."

"The one doesn't come off. It's fused to my skin," she states.

"Fine, the other one then." Sarah takes it off and places it with the dress. She kicks off the heels and puts them on the dress. She removes the supporting clothes leaving her only in her underwear. She remains with her back to Max. He walks closer and runs his hand up and down her back.

"So smooth," he whispers softly. He kisses the back of her neck and licks her earlobe.

"Don't do this Max, please," Sarah begs.

"I'm going to make you beg for me to get you off," he whispers into her ear. "Face down on the bed." Sarah climbs onto to the bed glad for her underwear on and her chest being hidden in the mattress. He restrains her again and puts the gun down. He kisses her back trying to get moans from the teen. She refuses to indulge him. He touches her causing her to whimper. He removes her underwear and she buries her face in the comforter. Just as he's about to do unspeakable things to her, an alarm goes off. He runs out the door, leaving the gun on the table next to the bed.

"ROGUE!" Sarah shouts. The door to the bathroom breaks down and Rogue hurries to her side. Rogue snaps the cuffs using her new strength and helps Sarah quickly redress. Rogue crushes the disk on her neck and holds the shoes and hairpiece out to Sarah.

"Carry them for me. Thank you. I knew you weren't that drugged up," Sarah mutters.

"Ah mah actress." Sarah grabs the gun and puts her hand to the gauntlet not trusting her mind to access the computer.

"Tony you there?"

"We're in the base fighting off goons. You're two levels down from the ground. But if you go to the right out of the room you're in there's a staircase," Tony explains quickly.

"Thanks." Sarah shoots the lock and Rogue tears the door out when the lock refuses to open. They run down the hallway and into the staircase. The pair, now working with their brains not clouded, makes it up the stairs quickly. Coming out into the lobby of the building, they see the fight.

"Him," Rogue snarls looking at Max who is going after Logan and Steve with a gun. Sarah raises the pistol in her hand and shoots twice. The gunshots pierces the air bringing everything to a grinding stop. Max clutches his shoulder with one hand and falls limply to the ground from the shot to his kneecap. Sarah walks up and grabs him by the hair.

"Be thankful I missed on purpose, bastard. I want to kill you."

"Then why don't you?"

"I'm an Avenger. If I killed you, I would be no better than you. Someone put him in cuffs," Sarah snarls shoving him to the ground. She hands the gun over to Luke who crushes it into dust. "Can we go home now?" she asks. Rogue laughs and hands her the hairpiece and her shoes.

"Watch out!" Peter yells. They turn to see Max breaking free of Scott's grip. He pulls his gun again and goes to shoot Sarah. An arrow sticks out of his chest and the gun falls to the ground. Everyone looks at Hawkeye.

"I wasn't about to let my niece get shot. The helicarrier is over head and they're sending a jet to take Sarah and Rogue up to get medical checks before they're cleared to go," Hawkeye explains.

"Great," Sarah says dryly. SHIELD agents sweep the whole base. Steve finds out about the room and asks Sarah. She tells him the truth and Steve holds his baby when she starts crying not even getting past being tied up on the bed when she woke up. The doctor walks in after she calms down with the results.

"She's fine. The drugs have already left her system and the burns healed. She's fine, Mr. Rogers. You can take her home."

"Thanks Doc. Come on baby girl." Sarah grabs her dress's bag from the chair. Maria had brought her some spare clothes and she had already changed into them. She puts the hairpiece and shoes in another bag and carries them both. She leans into Steve who wraps an arm around her to comfort her. They say goodbye to the X-Men, Laura, Rogue, and a few of the other girls promising to come shopping after Christmas. Rogue was fine too and didn't mention what had happened at the base.

"Professor Xavier," Sarah says softly before they leave.

_Yes Sarah? _

_When can I come up and talk to you? _she asks nervously in her mind looking at the Professor.

_Why don't you have someone drive you up tomorrow? I can tell how much this affected you. Say brunch? _Xavier suggests.

_Sure. Um, I'll see if my dad will bring me. He can hang out with Logan while we talk. _

"That sounds like a plan, Sarah," Charles says aloud. "Steve would you bring Sarah up to the Institute for a bit tomorrow? She needs to talk to me about something. Say ten o'clock?"

"We'll be there." The two groups part ways. Peter hugs Sarah who cries into his shoulder silently. When they land at the Tower, Sarah walks away from the group with her things and retreats into her room. She places her dress in the closet and hides the shoes and hairpiece in the spot above her bed. She changes into her nightclothes and puts the spare clothes in her travel bag. She digs into her bag from Asgard and takes out something that Frigga had given her. They didn't have many toy toys in Asgard, but Frigga's gift was amazing. It was a little doll, quite lifelike actually, that looked exactly like Sarah, only it showed her true emotions on the doll. She grabs the second doll she has, the one of Loki, and the third, Sif's doll, and then lastly the one of Frigga. She sets them on the bed and her hand glows softly before the dolls come to life.

Sif Doll creates a soft slope on the mattress sheets before easing the Sarah Doll down onto the sheets. She wraps her arms around Sarah Doll and Sarah Doll cries her eyes out. Frigga Doll comforts her as well but the two female dolls soon realize they can't help Sarah Doll the way she needs to be helped. Sarah Doll lies alone on the bed for a second before Loki Doll steps closer and then gets down on his knees in front of Sarah Doll. He crawls up to her side and wraps an arm around her waist softly. Sarah knows that the Loki Doll is whispering soothing words in Sarah Doll's ears. Sarah Doll turns her face into Loki Doll's chest and cries harder. Loki Doll soothes her for a while. Then he sits her up and points at the blankets around them. The enchantment on the doll gave him enough power to create a regular sized emerald green rose with a golden stem and leaves. All the Dolls work together and set it on Sarah's laps. Sarah smiles and brush's each doll's head before they return to the bag on their own. The rose is fragile but beautiful.

"My brother taught you magic," Thor remarks from the door. Sarah looks up startled. "I did not mean to disturb you. I have seen that look on Loki's face many times growing up. I hope you aren't about to turn down the road he did."

"No, no I won't," she insists. Sarah sets the rose on the bedside table. "Frigga gave me the dolls but Loki taught me how to enchant them so they'd actually act out the scene."

"You care deeply for my brother. Like siblings, yes?" Thor asks coming into the room. He motions to the bed and Sarah moves over so he can sit there.

"Yes like siblings," Sarah confesses. "We're quite close. I wish I didn't have to leave him there."

"Why?" Thor questions.

"Because he's a changed person. I miss him dearly."

"Would you be happy with him here?" Thor asks. Sarah nods softly staring at her hands. "I shall talk to my father about him visiting or perhaps moving here. I promise. Would you like that?" Sarah nods and Thor wraps an arm around her shoulders. "And as for what happened today, you are not weak for what happened. You are one of the strongest people I know. And I will be honored to have you on the team in a few years fighting alongside us."

"Thor, you will be a wise king," Sarah tells him hugging the god. Thor smiles and holds his niece close to his body. Thor leaves and Sarah feels a bit more relaxed. She concentrates and opens a sphere in the air; the spell uses the pendant more than her own meager magic. The spell had been woven into the pendant by Loki.

"Sarah," Loki says seeing her face in the orb, "I didn't expect you to contact me so soon."

"I needed to see your face," Sarah answers.

"What happened?"

"It is nothing, Loki. We are fine. I just wanted to see you, hear your voice. Thor says hi." Loki smiles softly as he thinks of his brother. "How are you?"

"I am well. I'm out of the castle, sitting on a hill watching the sunset," Loki answers. Sarah smiles knowing where he is. "What about you?"

"Sitting on my bed."

"Is that why it is so dark?"

"Yes."

"Sleep well, my little one."

"Sleep well, my lord." Loki smiles softly and Sarah closes the viewing sphere.

"Miss him that much?" Natasha asks from the doorway.

"Yes."

"Thor told me he's going to inquire to the All-Father. Steve and I approve. Does that help your homesickness for him?"

"Some."

"So, besides trans-dimensional communication, what other magic can you do?" Natasha asks coming into the room. Sarah smiles and retrieves one of the dolls. Natasha walks over and sees it's the Loki Doll. Sarah smiles at her mother before casting a simple spell on the doll. It jerks to life and looks between the two women. Sarah whispers something in his ear and the doll leaps from her hand over to Natasha's lap. He smiles up at her and then points to the fresh roses on the desk. A magic spell crosses the room and makes the rose into a gem rose. He runs across the room, retrieves the rose, and brings it back to Natasha. He sits down in Sarah's hand and goes limp again.

"That's about as much as I can do tonight. I know other tricks as well," Sarah says putting the doll away. "Loki says I'm a natural, but being human, I don't have vast powers."

"Are you sure you're not part Asgardian?" Natasha inquires.

"Sif and Frigga asked me that many times. I blame it on the science that made me. Magic is just science we don't understand." Natasha laughs and kisses Sarah's forehead.

"Go to bed. You and Steve have to leave in the morning, remember?" Sarah nods and slips under her blankets. Natasha takes the rose with her and puts it in her room. Sarah's sleep is haunted by visions of Max.

"Ready to go sweetheart?" Steve asks coming into Sarah's room the next morning. Sarah nods, dressed in jeans, a T-Shirt, and a zip up sweater. The pair goes to the jet and flies toward the Institute. "Can I ask why we're going?"

"Just need some counseling and Professor Xavier has a degree in psychology," Sarah answers. "Don't worry Dad." Steve sighs and points out the window. Sarah gazes down at the town as they come closer to the Institute. Steve lands the jet in the yard where Storm and Logan are waiting. Logan wraps his leather jacket around Sarah when she gets out of the jet.

"It's a little cold out for just a sweater kid," Logan chuckles.

"Thanks Logan."

"How are the kids?" Steve asks the pair.

"They're healing. A good portion of them are gone for the holidays," Storm answers. "I'm taking my nephew to go see family once he's done eating." They enter the Institute and Sarah hands Logan his coat back. Storm leads Sarah to the lounge room where Charles is waiting. Logan and Steve go off to talk about war stories.

"Come in," Charles says without the pair having to knock. Sarah walks in and Storm leaves her with the Professor. "I'm glad you took me up on the offer. I can sense the stress."

"Yesterday didn't exactly help either," Sarah mutters. Charles motions to the couch.

"Please sit. I have some toast and tea if you'd like some?" Charles says motioning to the two trays. "I can sense your hunger. It's on your brain."

"Didn't want to go to breakfast this morning," Sarah answers. Charles brings the tray table over and Sarah thanks him. She nibbles on the toast and sips the tea.

"So, would you like me to pick a topic or you? During my visits into your brain I have seen many troubling things you'd like to talk about," Charles states sitting down with his own tray table.

"I don't know where to start really."

"Let's start with last night, shall we? Get the freshest one out of the way," Charles suggests. "Who is Max Wolf to you?"

"Professor, you've seen that I was detained for the majority of my life yes?" Sarah asks.

"I saw that side of you, yes."

"Max Wolf is what happens when an experiment goes wrong. The people that created me, we called them the Corporation because they worked for someone somewhere. Max Wolf was my protector and hero for a number of months when I was younger. We were both dangerous so they thought we'd destroy each other, but we bonded. They tried to use that bond to create kids using our DNA. Max found out about the injection and tried to get us out. He got out. I was shot in the stomach. He had no choice but to leave me behind. Lost the kid too.

"Max had a condition where he, imprinted I guess, on whoever he "loved" the most. I was that target of affection. When we were younger, it was innocent. But when they tried to bring us together, that imprinting made him go into "overprotective husband mode" I guess. Last night was him finding me because of the imprinting. He wanted to continue the relationship. I did not," Sarah explains.

"So you were friends with him once?"

"Yes."

"Logan informed me you shot him. Twice."

"Well, he threatened me."

"Start from the beginning, when you woke up," Charles coaxes.

"I woke up bound to a bed with my name, face, and pictures plastered all over the room. Max came out and kissed me forcibly, telling me I was his now. He took me to see Rogue after giving me a drug to keep me disoriented. He wasn't happy when he found out that Rogue's gifts could knock people unconscious. He chained me back up and left to deal with Rogue. That's about the time I contacted Tony. He brought her into the room, demanded to know what she was, and threw her into the bathroom and locked her in." Sarah pauses as she gets to the next part. It was painful to remember. To realize just how close it had been was scary.

"What happened, Sarah? Doctor-patient privilege unless you want me to tell your father." Sarah draws a shaky breath and brings her legs up to her chest.

"He, he made me undress," she stammers shakily. "And then he came up behind me, kissing me, licking me, and running his hands over me. I wanted to fight, but he had a gun. And he had more training than me. Even then, I don't think I could have killed him, which is what I would have had to do." The tears start to come. Sarah's shaking hands go to her hair. She pushes it back and smoothes it out. "He had me lay down face first on the bed and he bound me again. He started to kiss me and touch me. I was so scared! I turned my face into the mattress because I didn't want him to see how weak I was. We were told to never be seen crying growing up. I…I knew it was only a matter of time. He took off the last article of clothing I had. I just wanted it to be over! I wanted to be home. I didn't want him to be touching me," Sarah sobs. She hides her face in her knees sobbing. Charles comes over and sits in front of her. He sets a soft hand on her shoulder and she leans into his comforting arms.

"What happened next?"

"The alarms went off and he left," Sarah says a little stronger now. "I yelled for Rogue and she broke out. We came and found everyone after that."

"That's when you shot him."

"Yeah. I wanted to kill him for what he had done to me, to Rogue. But I knew that prison would be a worse fate for him. He tried to kill me when I let him live. Hawkeye killed him with an arrow," Sarah whispers. "I've never been happy with myself when I'm glad to see a human being dead. But I didn't have to worry about him anymore."

"Who else have you seen dead that you were glad was dead?"

"My clone brothers, the evil ones. And then the other people at the corporation. Other than the Doc she's nice."

"Other than Steve Junior, did you have other nice clone brothers?" Charles inquires.

"Well, yes and no," Sarah replies. "There was one, Michael, he was nice in the beginning but he betrayed me, but then he tried to take me away from there and died in my arms. He was like a dad to me. He was ten years older than me."

"How about you tell me about the corporation? A lot of your issues have to deal with them," Charles remarks.

"What they did to me, they should have gotten a less merciful death than they got," Sarah snarls. "They beat me, conditioned me, trained me into the ground, used me as a game, and forced me to kill." Charles sighs as Sarah starts to tell him about her earliest memories. This was going to be a long day.

"What do you think they're talking about?" Logan asks Steve as they sit playing cards. It had been four hours since they got here and Steve is getting a little nervous.

"With what she's been through? Anything," Steve mutters.

"Right now their talking about the Corporation," Emma says coming in with Scott. "I had to bring another box of tissues."

"We're going to be here a while then," Steve comments folding the hand.

"Now they're talking about someone she lost in Asgard," Emma comments. "Does the name Gunnarr mean anything to you Captain?"

"No. We don't know much about her trip to Asgard," Steve answers.

"Can you tell us more, Captain?" Scott asks.

"You know how Laura was raised, right?" Logan asks Scott to which the teen nods. "Her but worse."

"We found Sarah well it'll be a year come February 4th," Steve says. "She was locked in a dark damp cell behind a false wall. Natasha and I found her in there, scared, alone, and in pain. Her legs were cut up pretty bad. She was underfed. She hadn't seen sunlight in months. I saw a lot of things in the war and she topped a good majority of those experiences. She didn't even have a name, so I gave her one."

"Yeah, she's had it worse than me," Laura says walking in. "We talked about it a few times. I was treated a bit nicer. She flipped out on James when he grabbed her by the collar to take her to the training room."

"He did what?" Steve growls.

"Easy, Steve," Logan warns. "Sarah and Laura had dealt with someone that made an inappropriate comment toward Laura. Sarah held the guy while Laura hit him where the sun don't shine. I hauled Laura by her collar and James grabbed Sarah by her collar so we could go train. She floored him. That's when we all really learned about her past."

"God, we were so stupid," Steve mutters rubbing his face. "I should have had someone counsel her. But she looked so well adapted. Sure there was the incident her first day of school but we all expect that."

"Bring her up here every so often; I'm sure the Prof will help her. He's helped all of us," Scott says. Steve nods and rubs his face again.

"Logan, remind me to ask Charles to talk to Junior too. I'd like to know if he's going to have as hard of time with everything like Sarah," Steve says. Logan nods and Emma presses a hand to her head suddenly.

"Charles is going to come talk to you, Steve. He has a proposition," Emma explains. Steve nods and goes to meet the professor. Charles motions to his school office and they sit down.

"How's Sarah?" Steve asks.

"She's resting right now. I had to do a psychic session with her to see how bad it really was. She gave me permission to talk about everything to you. I believe it is in Sarah's best interests that we block out some of the more painful memories. She can take the majority of them but there are some that will torment her for the rest of her life if she doesn't find a way to block them out," Charles explains.

"Are you saying you can make them disappear?" Steve asks.

"No, simply lock them away behind a wall. I already talked to Sarah about this and she's fine with the idea. She will still retain everything she learned for the experiences but the memories and dreams that emerge because of them will be blocked out unless something broke that wall," Charles explains. "Her mind is strong the wall shouldn't fall unless she wants it to fall."

"Are there any risks involved?"

"I am blocking away the most traumatic event from last night. She'll remember everything from around that but not the event," Charles explains. "It may cause some confusion if people try to talk to her about it. I wouldn't ask her too much about last night if I do the block."

"What happened to her?" Steve asks. "Or does Sarah not want me to know. I mean, she told me what she could until she started crying."

"She doesn't want you to think she's weak. But I think you should know. Max had her remove her clothes and was about to rape her. The only thing that stopped him was the alarm going off. She's traumatized from the incident," Charles tells him. Steve thinks for a solid minute.

"Do it," Steve settles. "She's got enough bad memories. Can I talk to her first?"

"Of course. Two doors down the hall on the left. I'll wait here," Charles says. Steve nods and walks down the hall to the room. Sarah is lying on the couch with her eyes closed but the way she's breathing and the tears still running down her face tells him she's awake.

"Hey sweetheart," Steve says walking closer. Sarah looks at him and her eyes widen. "I talked with the Professor." Steve kneels next to the couch and puts his hand on her cheek. "I told him he can put the wall up, if you want it." Sarah nods and Steve strokes her hair. "Sweetheart, you are not weak. You're the strongest person I know. You've survived things that no person should endure. I am so proud of you. Just remember that, okay?"

"Will you stay with me?"

"Of course I will sweetheart. What type of father would leave his daughter?" Steve questions. Sarah wraps her arms around Steve and buries her face in his shoulder. Steve is doing this for her; she doesn't need to remember those things. Charles comes in and nods to Steve. Steve holds Sarah's hand as Charles enters her mind. Steve watches his girl's face nervously as they put the walls up in her head. After ten minutes, Charles sits back and Sarah opens her eyes. Steve sees more hope in those eyes than he's ever seen before.

"How do you feel?" Charles asks.

"At peace," Sarah answers. "Thank you."

"Of course. I believe Rogue would like to say goodbye to you before you leave," Charles states. Sarah nods and runs off to find her friends. "If she has any problems, contact me."

"Thank you, Professor Xavier. I was wondering if I could bring my son up here and have you talk to him. They didn't have him as long as Sarah but I don't want to have my son in the same pain Sarah's been in," Steve states.

"Of course. Bring him by the day after Christmas and I shall have a talk with him," Charles insists.

"Thank you. Until next time, Professor." Charles nods and watches Steve leave. Steve finds Sarah hugging Laura and Rogue in the lounge. Logan looks at Steve and Steve nods in approval.

"Sarah, how about Laura and Rogue come see you the day after Christmas?" Steve asks. "I'm bringing Junior up here, they can come visit you."

"Really Dad? That'd be great!" Laura and Rogue agree causing Sarah to smile brighter. Sarah and Steve go back to the jet and travel back to the Tower.

"Sarah, who is Gunnarr?" Steve asks as Sarah plays with the zipper of her sweatshirt.

"He was friend of mine in Asgard. A very dear friend. He died protecting me," Sarah whispers softly. She looks up at Steve and he can see some sorrow in her eyes. "I really wanted him to meet you all. He was excited about seeing Midgard." Steve roughs up her hair, causing her to smile. The rest of the trip is spent talking about what the Avengers did while she was gone. They enter New York and Natasha meets them at the hanger.

"How are you dear?" Natasha asks as they walk out of the jet.

"At peace for the most part," Sarah says with a smile. "Where's SJ?"

"Gym, he's waiting for you with Clint and Thor." Sarah beams and sprints to the gym. Natasha looks at Steve. "So?"

"Professor Xavier put walls up for the worst memories. Including one from last night," Steve says sadly. "Wolf tried to rape her." Natasha's face drops and Steve catches his fiancée before she can fall.

"My baby."

"I know. I'm taking SJ up there the day after Christmas to talk to Xavier. I want to make sure he can talk and operate," Steve says.

"All right. Uh, Pepper wanted to see us about Christmas." Steve nods and they walk out of the room to find Miss Potts.

"Nat," Steve says as the travel in the elevator, "does the name Gunnarr mean anything to you?"

"Sarah mentioned him briefly. Said he was someone she cared about deeply and that he died saving her life," Natasha tells him. "Why?"

"Xavier mentioned him. I asked Sarah but she didn't give me much for details other than Gunnarr wished to visit Earth," Steve replies.

"Hm. We'll ask Thor later. Pep! Look who I found hanging out in the hanger bay!" Natasha chuckles as they find Pepper. Steve rolls his eyes and puts up with the women.

"Come on brother of mine! You can do better than that!" Sarah taunts as SJ tries to get around Thor to get to the basket.

"How is this fair?" Clint demands. "A super soldier and a god on the same team, NOT FAIR!"

"Would you rather two super soldiers on one team?" Thor questions.

"No."

"Then that settles it," Sarah laughs. Sarah and Thor are one team while SJ and Clint are on another. Sarah gets the ball from SJ and dunks it into the hoop. "HA!"

"What's the score Bruce?" Clint asks.

"Fifty to fifty five," Bruce answers. "Thor and Sarah in the lead."

"I see you repaired the floor," Sarah says offhandedly.

"Mom flipped," SJ chuckles passing it to Clint who dunks the ball.

A while later Bruce opens his mouth again, "How long are you going to keep going? You're at 150 to 170," Bruce states. They hadn't specified a time limit or points for cut off."

"Who is in the lead, Bruce?" Thor inquires.

"You and Sarah."

"I quit," Clint gives up. "I am dead tired. How long have we been at this?"

"Two hours," Bruce answers curtly. Sarah laughs and plops down on a bench. Bruce tosses her a water and she downs the whole bottle.

"What next?" SJ asks.

"Sarah, maybe you could tell us some tales from Asgard," Thor suggests. "Of glorious adventures perhaps?"

"Does getting in a battle with the popularly proclaimed Goddess of War count?" Sarah asks. "Odin was not happy to find out we did quite a bit of damage to the arena."

"What did you do?" Clint asks with a laugh.

"Sif and I got in an argument over what type of training to do. She challenged me to a fight and I accepted. The worst idea I've ever had," Sarah mutters.

"All right, everyone change, go to the lounge, get food, drinks, and Sarah is going to tell stories!" SJ settles. "And more than just one." Sarah rolls her eyes and leaves the gym. She had quite a few stories for them. Sarah goes to her room and cleans up. She retrieves the journal she and Sif had written their adventures in and starts to flip through the stories as she walks. She walks to the lounge SJ had been talking about, the one the family hangs out in after dinner, to find the four of them were waiting. Natasha and Pepper can be heard cooking in the kitchen and talking about Christmas. Steve can be heard in Tony's office talking with the man himself. Sarah takes a seat and SJ hands her a soda.

"Thanks SJ. Uh, I don't know what one to tell first," Sarah says looking at the journal.

"The one with Lady Sif," Bruce suggests. "I'd like to know how you did against her." Sarah laughs as she opens the journal to the page. She skims it a bit to recall just what happened that faithful day. It had happened the fourth or fifth day she had been there after all and that was quite a while ago.

"Sif and I had just finished breakfast and went to the arena to train. When we arrived, Brunnhilde had come to train me there as well, and the Warriors Three were there. Each group proposed a different type of training. Sif wished to battle hand to hand. Brunnhilde wished to teach me the art of archery with their bows. The Warriors Three wished to test out my skills, well Fandral and Hogun. Volstagg was too busy eating a boar," Sarah remarks.

"Yes Volstagg loves his food," Thor chuckles deeply.

"I told Sif I wished to test myself against Fandral and Hogun but she said I was not ready. I told her I knew that but I just wanted to see how far I had to go. She said if I must test my skills then it would be against her. She drew her sword and Brunnhilde tossed me a sword to use…"

The story telling went on for quite some time. Toward the end, the boys were getting anxious to find out who won the fight.

"As Sif and I prepared to attack each other again standing on opposite piles of rubble in the arena, a crack of lightning went off between us. It was then that the All-Father decided to intervene. He called us both children. Naturally, being a child, I stuck my tongue out at him, and Sif copied. We went to bed with no supper. However, Frigga snuck food into our rooms for us," Sarah chuckles.

"My mother is quite nice," Thor chuckles.

"She is. Shall I regale you with another story?" Sarah inquires.

"Yes please!" SJ says from his place on the floor with a pillow tucked under his head.**  
**

* * *

**HEY! THERE IS A PREQUEL TO THIS STORY! IT IS UNDER 7000 WORDS! IT IS ABOUT STEVE AND NATASHA IF YOU WISH TO READ IT! IT IS CALLED THE CAPTAIN AND THE BLACK WIDOW! ENJOY!**

**Hi. Hi. HI! HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHIIIIIII IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII IIIIIIIIIIII!**

**Do I have your attention now?**

**Good. Now, first of, review please, it gives me fuel. Secondly, I updated mid week for a two reasons, to tell you about the prequel story and because I've had a lot of people demand to know who Max Wolf is. I created the character so I could kill him off immediately. **

**Yes, there will be another Asgard story in the next chapter.**

**No flames about Sarah using magic. My idea is that she was made by science, so her connection to magic (science that you do not understand, to reiterate Thor) is natural and since she's an open minded person, she'd probably be able to use it. So, no bitching. **

**Uh, third... Crap what was my third one? I really need to right these things down. Oh, wow, this is like number five actually, uh... OH YEAH! Can I please get TEN legit reviews? PLEASE?! It tells me people give a damn. **

**AND LASTLY, my author's questions will likely reemerge within the next few chapters. There will be repeats.**

**I think that's it. OH YEAH! I HAVE FRIDAY OFF OF SCHOOL SO I MIGHT UPDATE SATURDAY INSTEAD OF SUNDAY!**


	12. A Story and Christmas Eve

**DISCLAIMER: (Speaking to someone) Is this really necessary? I obviously don't own Marvel, Avengers, or Spider-Man. **

**Tony Stark: It's called technicalities dear. **

**Me: Shut it Stark.**

**Tony Stark: You sound like Cap. No wonder you made a story from his daughter's point of view. **

**Me: Would you like a little hellion of your own? I'm sure I can whip up a one night stand with a kid to hand over to you.**

**Tony Stark: GOD NO! Pepper will kill me! Have mercy.**

**Me: Eh, maybe. Can I borrow the suit?**

**Tony Stark: You're sixteen. **

**Me: Cheaper than driving my car around. Please Tony? **

**Tony Stark: I'll get a variant of the Rescue armor out, okay? Just say what you have to say so I can leave. **

**Me: Thanks Tony. And fine. I DO NOT OWN MARVEL, AVENGERS, OR SPIDER-MAN! **

**Tony Stark: Good. Now, would you mind going up in the vents and getting Bird Brains out? He's shooting people with nerf darts. *is hit by nerf dart***

**Clint Barton: No, she'll join my side!**

**Me: Good god. I'm out of here. **

* * *

Sarah thinks about the stories and smiles. This one should have SJ and Thor laughing quite hard.

"This one has to deal with a bit of fun Loki and I had. But we could not have picked a worse time to teach me magic," Sarah chuckles thinking back on the memory. She places the journal on her lap and sits back on the couch. "I had a day off of regular training. Sif was needed elsewhere as were the Warriors Three and the Valkeries. So I decided to spend my day with Loki."

"How bad was the mischief?" Thor inquires.

"I shall get to that Thor!"

"Anyone else notice she's talking in an accent?" Clint inquires.

"It grows on you, Clint," Sarah says. "Loki decided to teach me how to cast enchantments on water to do simple things." Sarah continues to talk about mediocre things she learns until she gets to the climax. "Loki and I used magic on the same pond at the same time. That was a grave mistake on both of our parts in hindsight. The pond came to life. It took the form of a water dragon. My powers gave it form, his life.

"The water dragon reared into the air and lunged at a nearby garden worker. I was there just in time to knock him over. Loki tried to kill the dragon by taking away the magic but our magic had combined so neither of the spells we used could be removed. A guard informed Odin of the incident as we continued to try everything related to water that we could. When all else failed, Loki started to throw fireballs at it.

"As you can imagine the creature was not happy with his attack. It attempted to attack us. We both ended up drenched with water from its attack. By this time Odin had arrived and found, much to his amusement, Loki and I drenched and attempting to defeat the creature still. I gave Loki enough time to get a larger fireball going but my attacks were nothing compared to his. Odin watched on as Loki threw the fireball straight up at the serpent's mouth causing it to explode. Loki and I had just started to dry, but all the water came tumbling down on us. Much to our chagrin, we had lit a few bushes on fire as well. Loki took care of those. Odin said the experience alone was enough for punishment," Sarah laughs.

"What fine tales you speak, Sarah," Thor chuckles. "My brother did something very similar when I was much younger. However, Amora the Enchantress had to defeat the creature for him. She was his teacher at the time."

"Marvelous dear," Natasha says from the hallway where she and Pepper are waiting. Tony and Steve watch on with smiles on their faces. "Dinner is ready." The group files into the kitchen but tony stops her for a moment.

"Can you still perform magic?" Tony inquires.

"Some yes."

"Could I convince you to play a prank at dinner?"

"On who?"

"Clint. He has water tonight." Sarah smirks.

"Any requests."

"I just want him wet." Sarah nods and walks on into the dining room. She sits down next to SJ and looks over at Clint who sips his water. Natasha gives her a look that says _who told you to do it_ written all over her face. Sarah tilts her head toward Tony causing Natasha to smirk. She puts her hand to her face and mouths _'Clint has it coming'_ to Sarah. Sarah smiles and waits until everyone is eating and Clint is drinking from him glass. As he lowers his glass, Sarah lifts two fingers in his direction and whispers soft enough no one hears her. Clint stares as the water changes and a hawk forms out of the water. It rises and opens its mouth spraying him with water. Clint jumps back from the table and runs around the table trying to get the chasing hawk to go away. Sarah sends it dive-bombing for Clint's head and it hits him with a _splat_. Tony roars with laughter as does Sarah and Natasha. Thor joins in as he realizes it was Sarah playing with magic. Soon the whole team is laughing, well other than Clint.

"I'm going to get you," Clint growls getting up off the ground.

"Don't punish the kid, I had her do it Clint," Tony confesses. Clint leaps at Tony and wrestles him to the ground leaving the whole group laughing. Later, Sarah and SJ fall asleep on the floor in the living room listening to Thor tell stories of his childhood for the rest of the night.

"I'll take her to bed," Steve says looking down at his oldest child. With Clint's help, they ease her onto her back and Steve picks her up. Natasha opens Sarah's bedroom door for him and Steve lays his baby down to sleep. He kisses her forehead softy and leaves the room with Natasha. The next few days pass without anything interesting occurring, well other than a boring date with Flash but Sarah and Flash still had fun watching the movie. On Christmas Eve, they all head to the living room to drink eggnog (half of it had alcohol but they had some plain as well), sing carols, recall old Christmas stories, and watch the classic Christmas movies.

"I'm going to bed," Sarah says getting up to set her glass of spiked eggnog on the table. Steve had let her try the alcoholic eggnog it wouldn't affect her so he didn't see the harm in it. Sarah sets her glass down on the tray on the coffee table and heads to her room. Just as she reaches her room, her phone rings. Looking at the caller ID she opens it up.

"Hey Peter," Sarah says with a giggle.

"Sarah, I need some help," Peter says. "Helicarrier isn't in town. And the crew is gone to see relatives. God, pain." Sarah's face drops drastically.

"Where are you?" Sarah demands. The panic in her voice is evident as she sprints into her room and throws on a jacket.

"The roof of the school, hurry please." Sarah turns tail and runs back to the living room.

"Clint, Bruce with me now!"

"What's going on?" Steve demands.

"Peter's hurt, the whole crew is gone, and the helicarrier is in Canada, remember?" Sarah says quickly. The trio is in a jet before the others can get to them. Clint parks on the roof where Peter is laying down with half of his suit torn up.

"Oh my god, Peter!" Sarah cries out running to his side. The first thought through her head consists of _First Gunnarr and now Peter. This can't be happening!_

"Doesn't hurt too much," Peter chuckles. Bruce kneels next to Peter and starts to examine Peter's wounds.

"What happened?" Sarah demands.

"Sniper shots, all I know. Got here after I was shot."

"There's a doctor I know at one of the hospitals, I'll give her a call. Sarah, get him in the jet and get him changed into different pants. He can't go in with the suit," Clint says. Sarah picks up Peter as Bruce applies pressure to the wounds. She sets him down on the floor of the jet forgoing the cot.

"Peter, I'm tearing your suit," Sarah says looking at the suit.

"You can buy me a new one," he says through ragged breathes. Sarah rips the suit off her friend and puts a pair of sweat pants on him. She uses a shirt to help slow the bleeding. Sarah takes Peter's mask off and sees the tears.

"You're going to be okay," Sarah insists as Clint flies them to the hospital just outside of the city.

Peter grabs her forearm and holds it tightly, drawing her attention back to his face. "Aunt May, I want you to get her," Peter says.

"Promise. I'll go once you're being taken care of." Peter nods slowly.

"Peter, I need you to stay with me. Tell me what happened exactly," Bruce orders.

"I was out on patrol. I stopped mugging and was headed for home. I heard a shot and then two more. I felt the pain so I webbed them and headed for the school. The blood made the webbing deteriorate," Peter stammers. "It hurts."

"You're going to be okay, promise," Sarah insists. She brushes his hair away from his face. "I'll call Mary Jane, Gwen, and Harry too."

"Thanks." Sarah nods and kisses his forehead.

"Landing. They've got a gurney waiting," Clint tells them. Clint hits the button and rushes the gurney up. Sarah lifts him onto the gurney and the paramedics take over. Sarah follows them all the way to the door where the friend of Clint's meets her.

"His chances Doc?" she asks.

"I'll do my best. Does he have family?" The doctor watches Peter move past her.

"Yeah. I promised I would go get her."

"I'll let the front desk know you're coming Miss?"

"Rogers." Sarah walks toward the jet her phone in hand. She calls Steve. "Dad, need a favor. Drive a decent car over to my school. I'll meet you there. We have to pick up May Parker and bring her to the hospital to see Peter."

"Tony's coming with me," Steve states.

"See you then." Sarah hangs up and looks at Clint. "Back to the school. Did you call Fury?"

"No." Sarah starts to find the Director's number in her phone directory.

"I'll call him. Fly." The three settle in and Sarah calls Fury.

"Sarah?"

"Director, Peter's in a hospital. He was shot three times. The doctor is a friend of Clint's. Thought you should know." Sarah runs a shaking hand down her face. She can feel the tears there.

"Damn it! We're on our way back already." Sarah can hear Fury order the helicarrier to go faster toward New York in the background.

"See you when you get here."

"Call the rest of the team." Sarah had already figured that job would go to her. She makes a mental order of who to call in her head. She'd call the civilians too. They had a right to know. They know who Peter is, they'd find out one way or another.

"I will once I get three others out of the way first." She calls Harry next.

"Sarah?" Harry asks sleepily.

"Hey Harry. Peter's in the hospital," Sarah says quickly.

"What happened!" Harry demands suddenly awake. Sarah smirks; it was amazing how fast he could wake up like that.

"He was shot. I thought I should call and tell you."

"Call me with news, will you? I don't care at what time," Harry insists. That's a true friend, promising to pick up no matter what time she gets the news.

"No problem. Got to call everyone else." Harry hangs up and Sarah calls Gwen.

"Hey Sarah. You're calling late," Gwen remarks. Sarah can hear her family laughing in the background. It made it a lot harder to tell her the news.

"I thought you should know, Pete's in the hospital, he was shot," Sarah says. "I'll call you with more information when I know, okay?"

"Yeah sure. Give him my best wishes." She can hear Gwen starting to cry in the background.

"Will do." Sarah calls MJ next.

"Sarah, is something wrong?" Mary Jane asks. "You're calling pretty late." Figures Mary Jane would be the first one to figure out why she was calling late.

"Pete got hurt tonight. Three shots. He's in the hospital," Sarah explains. Sarah hears the phone drop and then MJ picks it back up.

"Oh god! Does May know?"

"I'm going to her now." Sarah can hear the ruffling of MJ's coat in the background.

"Take me with you to the hospital. I'll wait on my porch until you get to May's," Mary Jane says.

"All right. See you then MJ." Sarah hangs up and calls Ava as she jumps out of the jet and lands in front of the school. The hover-SUV lands in front of her and she climbs in.

"Sarah, you do realize what time it is right?" Ava questions. The Tiger sounds exhausted.

"Yeah I know. Peter's been shot. He's in the hospital. I'm going to take Aunt May to the hospital now. Don't worry we got him out of the suit before we got to the hospital," Sarah says. She can hear Ava take a very shaky breath on the other end of the line.

"The helicarrier?"

"On its way back from Canada."

"Call me when you know more." Sarah knows that Ava and Peter have had their differences, but they're team members. Sarah can hear Ava's breathing change as worry overcomes the Tiger.

"I will." Sarah calls Luke next who happens to be with Danny. They put her on speaker in Danny's bedroom once leaving their family.

"What's up Sarah?" Luke asks. Luke's mission voice is instantly recognizable.

"Peter was shot on the job. His identity is intact we got his suit off. But he's in the hospital right now." The sentence was becoming numb to her. _I shouldn't be numb! Damn it! One of my best friends is in the hospital! He could have died! _Tony and Steve glance at her as they travel to Aunt May's house. Both men are worried about the blond in the backseat.

"Call with more information later and the address of the hospital. We'll visit him tomorrow," Danny says firmly. She hears something smash on the end of the line. Seems Luke didn't react well.

"Danny, it is Christmas tomorrow," Sarah protests. She knows that Danny's family situation is a bit tough, so is Luke's. She really doesn't want to take them away from their families. Well, what's left of them.

"He is my friend and a teammate. We'll be there."

"I'll talk to you later." They hang up and she calls Sam.

"Oh god," Sam says hearing the news. "Call me when you have more information."

"You and everybody else. Talk to you later Sam." Sarah hangs up as they reach Aunt May's house. Mary Jane walks over and stands by the porch as Sarah knocks with Tony and Steve at the bottom of the steps. May opens the door and smiles at Sarah softly.

"Sarah dear, Peter's not here right now," May says.

"I know, Mrs. Parker. Peter's been shot, ma'am," Sarah says. May falls into Sarah in shock. "I'm here to take you to the hospital. It's just outside of town and he's getting the best care possible." May nods numbly and Mary Jane retrieves May's purse and coat. They take the older woman to the SUV and sit on either side of her. Steve uses the blacked out windows to prevent May from seeing the fact that they're flying. They land in the parking lot and walk into the hospital.

"Can I help you?" the front desk asks.

"I'm Sarah Rogers, we're here about Peter Parker," Sarah explains. "This is his aunt."

"Ah yes. The doctor told me to be expecting you. The tenth floor. Your friends Barton and Banner are waiting there," she says. Sarah nods and looks at the nearby wheelchairs.

"Can we borrow a wheelchair? I think Mrs. Parker is in shock," Sarah says softly. The receptionist nods and Steve wheels one over. They go to the tenth floor where Bruce and Clint are waiting.

"Where'd you park the jet?" Steve asks.

"The second helicopter pad," Clint answers. "He's still in surgery but they already have his room picked out." Clint points to the room with the SHIELD emblem on it. "Fury called ahead."

"Oh dear, how are we going to pay the bills," May whispers looking around the top security level.

"You won't, May," Tony says. "Whatever SHIELD doesn't pay for, I will."

"I couldn't impose."

"It's not a problem. Peter's helped us in ways you don't know about." They wait in the waiting area of the SHIELD floor for two hours. The doctor, Sharon Marshall, walks over and looks at Clint. Clint motions to May.

"This is Peter's aunt," Clint says.

"Missus Parker, your nephew will make a full recovery. We have him sedated for now. There were four bullet wounds in your nephew but they weren't life threatening. You can all stay in his room until he wakes," the doctor says. "We understand this is a special case. Once he's moved in you can go inside." May nods and Mary Jane hugs her lightly. Sarah pulls the doctor aside.

"Four shots?" she asks.

"Yes, three sniper rounds one closer up. Why?" Sharon asks.

"I talked to Peter, he only heard three shots," Sarah answers.

"I don't know. She doesn't know, does she?" Sharon asks pointing to May.

"No, but I suspect she's going to be told. Thanks for your help."

"No problem." Sharon walks away and Sarah rejoins the group. They go into the room and sit down in the seats around the room. Peter looks peaceful in his sleep.

"My sweet boy," May whimpers stroking his hair. "What did you do?" The door opens to reveal Phil and Fury. Sarah stands up and walks over to them.

"We didn't tell her," Sarah tells them.

"How is he?" Phil asks.

"Bullets are out. Four shots, he heard three. I don't know why his spider sense didn't kick in. With that regenerative property of his, he'll be back on his feet before school starts," Sarah says. "I told the team and our friends that know about his secret. They're all worried about him."

"All right. We'll talk to May. You might want to stay here for it." Sarah nods and takes her seat again. Phil closes the door and Nick clears his throat. "Mrs. Parker." May looks up at Nick. "My name is Director Nick Fury of SHIELD. Your nephew works for me," Nick states.

"Peter's job is at the Bugle," May states.

"That's a side job, ma'am," Phil says.

"What does Peter do?" May asks.

"The simple version is, he's Spider-Man," Fury states. May is silent.

"You had better be joking," May says deathly serious.

"No ma'am I am not. Over a year ago, your nephew was transformed into Spider-Man. SHIELD took him in for protection and training as of this school year. Phil is his handler, along with his other super friends. Peter was on patrol tonight when this happened. I can assure you ma'am that we will find out what happened," Fury says.

"Shots came from the Bugle's tower," Tony says showing his tablet. "Permission to investigate?"

"Not just yet Stark."

"My Peter can't be Spider-Man," May protests. She looks at Sarah and Mary Jane. "You can't believe this can you?"

"He's saved me before, Aunt May," Mary Jane says. Sarah activates her shield and shows it to May.

"I've worked alongside him. I didn't know for a while, I suspected it but I didn't know. Mrs. Parker, Peter is Spider-Man. And I know you're worried about his safety but within three days Peter will be completely healed. I mean, you'll be able to take him home probably around noon," Sarah states. May raises an eyebrow. "Part of his gift is that he heals fast. I do the same, just at a different degree than he does. May, you know me; I would not lie to you."

"So Friday night, when you and that other girl were taken, Peter came after you?" May asks.

"Yes ma'am."

"Mrs. Parker," Fury says and May looks at him, "now that you know about Peter's job, we can pay him all the back cash we owe him. He can stop working at the Bugle. And he will be able to help you two pay bills. This is his job. He loves it. If he didn't work for SHIELD he would still be out there fighting." May nods somberly. Sarah knows the pay thing was mostly BS but the look on Tony's face read _Peter's-getting-away-from-the-Bugle-and-getting-a-job-at-SI_ all over it.

"Mary Jane, Clint stay here with May and Peter until he's cleared to leave," Phil says.

"Stark, Sarah, Cap, Bruce, you got the Bugle. Wake Jameson up, I don't care. Just don't say it's Peter, say it's Spider-Man, please. Wear your uniforms. Well, Stark, you can wear what you have on now. Get to the bottom of this," Fury orders.

"Clint, you mind taking the SUV?" Tony asks.

"Take the jet." Clint tosses Sarah the keys.

"MJ, call Harry and Gwen. Give them an update on everything. I'll get the rest of the crew on the plane communicators," Sarah settles.

"Sarah," May says and Sarah looks at her, "you really do this superhero business too?"

"My dad is Captain America," Sarah states looking fondly at Steve, "runs in the family."

"Ma'am," Steve says looking at May, "your nephew, his friends, my daughter, they saved four members of the Avengers and Mary Jane. He's got powerful friends in high places." May nods slowly. The departing parties leave the hospital quickly. Sarah punches the crew up on the communicator before she takes off.

"You're on the air with myself and the rest of the super crew, minus Pete," Sarah states as the others join the line.

"Sarah, how's Peter?" Ava demands.

"He's going to be just fine," Sarah says with a smile. "His regenerative factor will have him out quick, probably today around lunch. Mary Jane and May are with him. Clint's their babysitter for now. May knows about Spidey. We didn't tell her which of Peter's friends were on the crew though."

"Any clue who did it?" Luke asks.

"I'll pummel whoever did it," Sam snarls.

"Sarah, found your suit," Tony says from in the back of the plane. "You taking the crime scene or JJ?" Tony asks.

"JJ," Sarah replies.

"JAMESON!" four voices bellow at Sarah.

"The shots came from his building so we're going to have a talk with him," Sarah answers. "I'll call with news later. Or you can call Mary Jane."

"Catch this guy," Danny says, "and then let me go a few blows with him."

"Will do Danny." Sarah hangs up and lets Steve take over so she can get dressed. Steve and Bruce would take the floors Tony had figured out the shots came from. Thor and Natasha were on their way to track down where Peter was at the time. Luckily, his communicator had a tracer and they had a pretty good place to start. Sarah tentatively lands the jet on the top of the Bugle thanking that when it had been rebuilt it had a flat top for a roof.

"Fury called Jameson into the office," Tony says looking at Sarah. Tony had pulled a suit out of somewhere and had changed into it. "Ready?"

"Damn right."

"Don't hurt him," Steve warns as he and Bruce take equipment to examine the sites.

"I won't," Sarah promises as they walk toward the stairs, "at least they won't be marks." Tony shakes his head as they make their way to Jameson's office. Tony knocks.

"Come!" Tony opens the door and walks in with Sarah behind him. "Stark, I should have known you were the reason I had to come in on Christmas Eve."

"What did you do Jonah?" Tony questions.

"What are you talking about?" Jonah demands.

"Spider-Man was shot. The shots came from this building, well three of them at least," Tony says.

"SHOT!" Jonah shouts. Sarah steps around Tony. Jonah's eyes widen considerably at the sight of the blond, particularly in mission gear. He eyes the guns he can see.

"Remember me, Mr. Jameson?" Sarah questions.

"Yeah, you're Sarah Rogers, the future Avenger," Jonah says with slight hesitation.

"I'm also a personal friend of Spider-Man and he's quite dear to me. So if you say you're not involved with his shooting, and I found out you're lying, well, let me put it this way," Sarah says with a chuckle, "I don't take kindly to my friends being shot at."

"Are you threatening me?" Jonah demands. Sarah walks forward and trails her hands on his desk. "You are not the same kid I met a few nights ago."

"No, this side of me is the side that no one gets to see. You and Tony are the first one to see it outside of the people that held me captive for 15 years," Sarah says with an evil chuckle. She walks around the desk and sits down on it, a hand brushing her gun as she settles on the desk. "See, I'm not a little princess. As good-hearted as I am, I hate it when people go after my friends and family. I'll tell you a little secret." Sarah puts her hand on Jonah's tie. "The people that held me captive, they weren't very nice. But their hours of torment taught me something, Jonah. It taught me just how much the human body can take without leaving a shred of evidence." Sarah grips his tie tightly and brings him closer to her. The look on her face has Jonah ready to pee himself. He had met many scary people, but Sarah had to be in the top five.

"Stark," Jonah says nervously looking over Sarah's shoulder at the billionaire.

"You're scaring him. Give him some breathing room," Tony says. Sarah rolls her eyes and releases Jonah. She flips herself over his desk and lands gracefully on the other side. She walks to Tony's side and crosses her arms. "Good thing your dad isn't here with you."

"Not Mom?" Sarah questions.

"She'd have him hanging out of the window by now. Black Widow, a spider, and Spider-Man, yeah she may not show it but she cares. You should have seen some things she did when you were gone. He hung one guy by his ankle off a bridge."

"Those are good ideas!" Sarah chuckles. "I'll have to remember those for the next set of idiots."

"All right! All right! There was a man here about three days ago, closer to four now. He wanted to know how much I hated Spider-Man, and I told him it was a lot. He said he could get Spider-Man unmasked if I gave him access to the floor below this." Sarah relays the information to Steve and Bruce who climb up to the floor. "I didn't think he was serious!" Jonah insists.

"Be happy this idiot was a bad shot," Sarah snarls. "Otherwise, my friend would be dead and you would have been next on my list."

"Are all you Avengers this sinister away from the public?" Jonah demands looking at Tony.

"Only when it comes to the ones with particularly bad pasts or when someone goes after someone dear to us. I'd be in her position if it was Miss Potts," Tony says. "Hush is the word, Jonah. That is, unless you want people to know you almost got Spidey killed."

"Hush it the word."

"Our jet is on your roof and we're investigating the site. You're free to go," Tony says. Jonah sprints out of the room on the side opposite of Sarah. Tony looks at Sarah who regains her normal composure again. "I don't know who I should be more worried about, you or your mother. You both have scary interrogation techniques. I'm pretty sure Jonah has to change his pants now, not to mention his chair."

"I wasn't kidding Tony." Sarah looks at Tony with a very serious face.

"I know, that's what worries me." They walk to the site and find the rounds there.

"Didn't even police his brass," Steve mutters.

"Did he think no one would suspect J. Jonah Jameson, the man that has wanted Spidey in cuffs for over a year?" Tony mutters. Tony takes one and motions Sarah's gauntlet over. Tony sets it on scanner mode and scans the fingerprint of the crook. Sarah flips her visor down and reads the screen.

"An amateur," Sarah tells them. "I have his last known address." They relay everything to SHIELD who have the boasting crook in cuffs within twenty minutes. Apparently, he thought he had killed the Spider, but he hadn't because Peter had jumped to get away at the last second causing the bullets to hit him lower than expected.

"What about the close range shot?" Sarah asks.

"Natasha to Sarah."

"Go ahead."

"We found our second crook," Natasha says looking at the dead body. "Committed suicide right after with at note saying, 'I killed the Spider' on his chest. You got the other guy?"

"Yep."

"Jameson?"

"He let the guy onto the floors. He didn't know he was going to shoot him," Tony informs them. "Have you been teaching your daughter the art of interrogation?"

"Didn't have to."

"SHE IS SCARY!" Tony announces. Steve and Bruce look at Tony oddly before shaking their heads. "She is," Tony defends like a three year old who had called his sister mean.

"Tony, she's the daughter of the Black Widow, what do you expect?" Bruce says quietly as they head back to the jet.

"Uh, good point." They get onto the jet and Steve flies them home. Sarah calls MJ on her way home.

"Sarah," MJ says. "Peter's up."

"Put me on speaker then," Sarah says.

"Hey Sarah," Peter says with a chuckle.

"Sarah, put that on speaker," Tony says. Sarah does.

"Hey Pete. You got me, Tony, Bruce, and Steve here," Sarah says. "How you feeling?"

"Smallest caliber shot is healing up nicely. The others are a little slower. How's the investigation going?" Pete asks.

"We got both crooks," Tony says.

"Who was it?" Clint asks.

"Some two-bit amateur who forgot to police his brass, one of those ones that wants to gain street respect by taking out a high profile target," Sarah says, "and some guy that wanted to kill Spider-Man and then committed suicide. So, both problems taken care of. Oh, Pete, quit your job at the Bugle."

"Why?"

"Jonah is part of the reason you're in the hospital. He let the guy onto the Bugle floors. He said he'd be able to unmask you. Jonah didn't realize what he had meant. I don't think he'll be messing with you for a while, I'm pretty sure Sarah put the fear of god into him," Tony says.

"What did you do?" Clint laughs.

"Just let a bit of my old personality come back."

"Peter, you need more sleep," May says.

"Yes Aunt May. I'll talk to you guys later," Pete says.

"Bye," everyone says quickly. Sarah calls the gang and relays the news that they had gotten the guys already. Luke tells her that he'd be visiting the first man and personally interrogating the, what was the word he used, ah yes "_Dumbass-bastard-that-was-stupid-enough-to-go-after-a-superhero!_" When they get home, Sarah crashes hard on her bed making it clear that if anyone woke her up before 10 o'clock, she would kill them, violently and without mercy. Well, that was unless someone was dying or the world was ending. If it was the second one, she made it clear she'd be calling Loki to come bunk in Asgard. (Clint was the one that brought up the world ending.)

* * *

_**Hey gang! So, I'm updating on Saturday my timezone. So, I won't be updating tomorrow. I just finished reviewing this chapter like three minutes ago and wanted to update so I wouldn't forget. I won't update again until next week, it lets you all think about the story and let the facts sink in. (This was told to me by a reviewer.)**_

_**So next on the agenda, people have been asking about the wedding. I will give you a heads up when that is coming up, it's not for a while yet. There's a lot that happens in the next ten chapters or so. Hell if I know, I lost track of how far ahead I am with my personal copy. I mean, compare the almost 150,000 words I have written to what's here, that's not including author's notes, and you'll see how far ahead I am. **_

_**Next, I hope Sarah scared the hell out of you with Jonah. That was my intention. **_

_**Next, no Peter doesn't die. I could never bring myself to kill Spider-Man, well maybe one day but like not in this story. **_

_**Also, I have a feeling that along with the prequel that I posted, there will likely be a sequel eventually. I mean, this story is no where close to being done. So yeah, guess that's a bit of a spoiler. **_

_**Hm, next one was...**_

_**AH YES! I HAVE A QUESTIONS FOR YOU! Yes you staring dumbly at the stupid author's note.**_

_**1) (There's only one so please answer it) What do you think of past time travel for Sarah? Like a villain sends her back in time (I will mention anyone that can guess when I want (oh hell, I've already written the time travel) to send Sarah back in time). Anyway, what do you think of a villain sending Sarah back in time to what the villain hopes will be the blond's doom? Let me know, I'm curious people. **_

_**So, to wrap it all up, I will update next Sunday if and only if I get ten reviews! So if I don't update next Sunday, you know why. I only received four reviews. I'm disappointed people. **_

_**See you next time!**_


	13. Christmas and New Family

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE AVENGERS OR SPIDER-MAN AND HIS FRIENDS! (as illustrated in the skit following) **

**Me: Not saying it. **

**Loki: Mortal. **

**Me: What?**

**Loki: Say it or I shall cast an enchantment on you that will turn your hair the color you most despise. **

**Me: You wouldn't dare.**

**Loki: *snaps fingers* Wouldn't I?**

**Me: *looks in mirror* YOU JACKASS! TURN IT BACK NOW! **

**Loki: Only if you say it.**

**Me: I DO NOT OWN THE AVENGERS OR SPIDER-MAN AND HIS BUDDIES! THERE DISCLAIMER! I DO NOT OWN THEM!**

**Loki: *snaps fingers* **

**Me: YOU LIAR! YOU TURNED IT FUCKING RED! Not that I hate red but my mother will kill me. And you changed the style! I like my short hair and like it's longer! **

**Loki: Get over it, you love it. **

**Me: You win this round, Loki. But be warned, I do not play fair when it comes to prank wars. **

* * *

Natasha wakes up with her head on Steve's shoulder. In total, the pair had gotten about five hours of sleep after they returned last night. Why did things have to be so complicated lately? Natasha smiles at Steve, he's still sound asleep. Natasha walks to the bathroom and takes a round of pills that Bruce had prescribed for her. She reaches into the medical cabinet and takes out a small little box. Silently she starts to pray in the back of her head. Bruce had said if it was still positive at Christmas time that it would be confirmed. She takes the test silently. As she reads it, her eyes start to water with happiness. She puts it back in the box and finishes cleaning up after a shower. She goes back into the bedroom and kisses Steve softly on the lips. The soldier wakes up and looks up at her slowly.

"How are you this morning, my sweet?" Steve asks her bringing a hand up to brush her hair behind her ear.

"I am joyous," she replies. Steve sits up with hope gleaming in his eyes. "Yes! YES! I'm pregnant! We're going to have another kid!" Steve smiles and starts laughing as he hugs his fiancée tightly. They had been praying this would happen. The medicine that Natasha had to take to have a kid was something that Steve had been worried about, but it was official! Steve cups her head and kisses her passionately. He reaches up her tank top and puts his warm hand to her womb.

"A baby. I love you so much, Tasha. I love you," Steve chants over and over again as he kisses her. After a bit, they go out to the kitchen after changing. Bruce is sitting at the counter with SJ bouncing up and down in his chair.

"Can we open presents yet? Please? Please? Please? PLEASE?!" SJ begs his parents.

"Who else is up?" Natasha inquires.

"Pepper went to wake up Tony. Thor is sitting in the living room watching the Peanuts special. Sarah's still out. None of us are stupid enough to go wake her up," Bruce says.

"What time is it? Steve inquires.

"Eight in the morning," Bruce replies.

"PLEASE MOM!" SJ begs. Natasha grabs something from the counter, hits SJ in the butt with it and the kid is on the floor in a minute.

"Tony or Clint's tranquilizer?" Bruce muses.

"Tony's. It'll put him out for an hour and a half. Clint's only lasts a half hour. Steve, be a dear and put him on the couch would you," Natasha asks the soldier. Steve sets his coffee down and quickly deposits his son on the couch. He returns to hear Natasha telling Bruce the news. He tells her that he'll double check the testing to make sure before they announce it. At nine forty five, SJ wakes up and begs Natasha and Steve for fifteen minutes straight. At 10:01, Natasha silently gets up and walks toward Sarah's room while SJ cheers in triumph.

"Sweetheart," Natasha says as she places her hand on Sarah's shoulder and shoves her softly, "Sarah time to wake up." Sarah's eyes land on the clock and her eyes narrow.

"Really, you waited two minutes after 10 to wake me up?" Sarah complains. She pushes off the bed and kneels in the center of it. She rubs the tiredness from her eyes. Natasha rubs circles on her back comforting her.

"It's Christmas sweetie. We have to celebrate. Your brother wants to tear into his presents without you, so does Clint," Natasha chuckles. Sarah sighs and moves off her bed.

"I'll be out in a few minutes," Sarah says. Natasha leaves the room and Sarah's shoulders slump. She had dreamt of not getting to Peter in time, of being the one shooting Peter, fighting alongside him when he was shot, and lastly finding Peter dead in the middle of an alley. Then the dreams of Gunnarr resurfaced. Then there were dreams with both of them. She hadn't slept well at all despite taking the sleeping pills Phil had once given her. She summons magic and sphere forms in front of her. Loki looks at her tired.

"Sarah," Loki says with a smile as he realizes who it is. "How are you?"

"Tired, extremely tired," Sarah answers. "Merry Christmas. Though I suppose there's some festival right now, right?"

"You would be correct. It's the Yule celebration, it started a few days ago, but Father keeps it going for a few days. Asgardians love a reason for a feast."

"Happy Yule," Sarah says. "You mind if I change while we talk?"

"Go ahead." It wasn't anything that the God hadn't seen before. There was a quest and needless to say, she ended up soaked and had to borrow some of Loki's clothes while hers dried off.

"Thanks." Sarah pulls out a pair of fresh pants and a plain red shirt.

"What troubles you, dear one?" Loki asks. She mentally winces at the _dear one_ comment. Loki only uses that when he knows something is truly wrong with the little midgardian. Her first thought was, _Where to start? The kidnapping or Peter's shooting and almost murdering someone? _However, she scratches that comeback out instantly.

"Peter was shot last night," Sarah answers. "He's healing fine, we caught the guys, and he should be released later today."

"Then what troubles you?"

"He has a "Spider Sense" because of his gift. It didn't go off. It just makes me think, what if one of us is next," Sarah says seriously while pulling her jeans on. She turns to Loki as she puts the shirt on. "What if someone comes after the Avengers or our family and friends? Pete was alone. All of us have been in his position in the field or in life."

"Sarah, you will be fine," Loki insists. "I have no doubt that you would kill anyone that tried to harm you or your friends if you were allowed." Sarah nods and rubs her tired eyes again. "Have fun."

"You too Loki. I love you, big brother," Sarah says putting her hand to the orb. "Love can cross entire realms."

"And break all boundaries," Loki finishes. His hand is on his end of the sphere. "Go have fun."

"Yes mother." Loki laughs at her attempt to mock him as he ends the spell. Sarah smiles. Somehow Loki always managed to cheer her up, even if he didn't know what he was doing. Sarah pulls a shawl from her closet and wraps up in it. The Tower is a little cool this morning as she makes her way to the kitchen.

"Merry Christmas sis!" SJ says tackling his sister in a hug.

"Morning SJ," Sarah say softly. She hugs him and buries her face in his neck.

"What's wrong sis?" Sarah holds him at arm's length with her hands firmly on his shoulders.

"You promise me something," Sarah says threateningly, "never go on a patrol without someone being your backup." SJ looks his sister in the eye and nods.

"You got it Sis," SJ promises. "Is Pete all right?"

"He'll be fine. I just don't want anything remotely similar to ever happen to you little brother," Sarah says hugging her brother again. Natasha watches on with sadness in her eyes. Her daughter would never be normal, not with everything she had seen. SJ still has a chance. He hadn't been on missions, he hadn't gone after the people that created them, and he had been imprisoned for a lot less time then Sarah.

"Hot chocolate," Steve announces walking in with a tray of homemade hot chocolate. Natasha grabs two cups and brings them over to her kids. She holds the cups out to them.

"Thanks Mom," Sarah says softly. Natasha nods and kisses her cheek.

"Clint's on his way up with Peter and May," Tony says coming in with a box of presents. "Morning Sarah. Peter and May are joining us for Christmas so Clint brought all of their presents over so they could open presents with us." Sarah nods and sits down on the couch as Thor comes in with another armful of presents. The elevator dings down the hall and Peter can be heard reassuring May that he's fine. Sarah sets her hot chocolate down and goes to meet them.

"Good to see you up and around, Pete," she says. Peter smiles and they hug. "Never do that to me again."

"Yeah yeah." Clint kisses Sarah's forehead as he passes by on the way to his room to take a quick shower. Sarah helps May to the couch and Pepper holds out a cup of coffee to the older woman.

"Is black fine?" Pepper asks.

"Yes, thank you dear." Bruce comes into the room with Phil; the pair is carrying large trays filled with food to last them until dinner.

"Mister Stark," JARVIS says, "Miss Lewis, Miss Foster, and two other women are waiting to come up stairs. Permission to allow them up."

"Granted."

"Who all is coming?" Clint asks. Tony smirks mischievously at Natasha. The elevator opens down the hall and the four women walk into the living room. "Bobbi!" Clint sprints across the room and hugs his on and off girlfriend of two years tightly. Bobbi smiles and wraps her arms around Clint.

"Good to see you too Clint, been a while," Bobbi chuckles.

"Everyone, Bobbi Morse, she works for SHIELD too," Clint informs them.

"Hello Thor," Jane says walking over. The two hug and kiss each other's cheek. The engagement ring on Jane's finger tells the group that the rumors that Jane had moved on were true.

"Hey big guy," Darcy laughs hugging Thor. "Been a while."

"That is has, Darcy. I have missed you both dearly. How have you been?" Thor inquires.

"Good," the women answer in unison.

"Betty," Bruce says in shock nearly dropping his glass if he hadn't had it a centimeter off the table.

"Hello Bruce." Bruce hurries toward Betty Ross and hugs her tightly. "It has been five long years."

"I'm so sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for, Bruce. I'm glad you're happy here," Betty insists. Bruce kisses her softly and hugs her closer.

"What's their deal?" SJ asks. Sarah whacks him on the arm and he grumbles.

"They love each other but things got in the way," Sarah says.

"Oh, are these those kids you told me about Clint?" Bobbi asks looking at Sarah and SJ.

"Yeah they are. Uh, girls," Clint says calling the attention of all four girls, "these are Steve's kids." Darcy comes over first.

"Huh, how old are you?" Darcy asks.

"16," Sarah answers. "Sarah Rogers, pleasure to meet you Miss Lewis."

"You've got your father's manners that's for sure," Jane chuckles shaking Sarah's hand.

"I'm Steve Junior, but most people call me SJ, I'm 13," SJ says from Sarah's side.

"Spitting image of the Captain," Bobbi remarks.

"If only he had Dad's manners," Sarah chuckles. SJ tries to grab her but Sarah jumps over the couch and rolls across the ground until she popped up standing.

"I'm going to get you, Sis. One of these days," SJ promises.

"Good luck with that Junior," Steve chuckles. "She's got a few years on you, remember?"

"Doesn't matter."

"Miss Morse, Miss Ross, Miss Foster, Miss Lewis, pleasure," Steve says.

"Who has actually met the Avengers before?" Bobbi asks.

"Jane and Darcy," Thor answers. "Ladies, you have not met our guests though." Thor motions to Peter and May.

"May Parker," May says shaking Jane's hand.

"Pleasure to meet you ma'am."

"Oh don't call me ma'am, please. This is my nephew Peter," May says. Peter is standing up next to the couch with one hand over the three bullet holes.

"Peter, you should be sitting," Natasha tells the boy. "After last night, you don't need to be standing for long periods of time. I don't care if you heal fast, it's still not healthy."

"Miss Romanoff," Peter protests.

"I've told you many times, boy, to call me Natasha. Sit. And when was the last time those bandages were changed?" Natasha demands.

"Mom, stop being overbearing," SJ says.

"Four or five hours ago, Tasha," Clint answers the question. Natasha points at the couch and Peter sits down at one end of the couch. Sarah giggles and Peter shoots her a look. Sarah hands Peter a hot chocolate and everyone takes their places on various furniture or claimed place on the ground.

"So, who is handing out presents?" Tony asks.

"Mom, permission to?" Sarah asks waving her fingers.

"Go ahead." Sarah beams and walks up over to the tree. After a few words and a few hand gestures, the presents are floating across the room to their respective recipient. It takes five minutes for the presents to be sorted out but they finally sit in piles in front of their recipients.

"Where'd you learn that?" Peter asks.

"My trip to Asgard of course," Sarah chuckles sitting down. "I didn't do weapons training the whole time. It's a simple spell affecting gravity is all."

"Asgard?" Darcy asks. "You went to Asgard?"

"Father gave her the opportunity to train in Asgard. She was there for two and a half months," Thor explains. "She learned some things from my brother." Sarah smirks at the comment.

"Can we open presents now? First Christmas here!" SJ shouts.

"Calm it SJ," Sarah snaps at her brother.

"Dig in!" Tony announces. The three kids beam the brightest. SJ tears open his first present, a baseball mitt. His next present is a ball. The third is a bat. SJ smiles happily, Steve and him could finally play ball. Among his other presents were music, clothes, video games, and the latest Stark Tech gadgets. Peter got music, clothes, and some money. His last present is a science kit provided by Tony. Sarah reaches behind the couch and tosses Peter a card.

"What's this?" he asks.

"An IOU," Sarah answers. "I'll have the new suit for you soon." Peter laughs and tucks it inside the science kit.

"Whatcha get Sarah?" Peter asks.

"Music, movies, clothes, a few new gadgets, and whatever is in this small little package." Sarah pulls the wrapping off and opens up the small box. She flips it upside down and a set of keys falls into her hands. There are two different types. The present had been marked from Tony, Fury, and Steve.

"Keys?" Sarah asks. Tony hands her a tablet with security feeds in the hanger and in the garage. She stares at the presents. A shriek comes from her mouth and she tackles Tony and Steve in a hug. A car and a skycycle!

"That skycycle has been modified so it can transform into a motorcycle. That's why it took so long to make. It's custom," Tony says.

"Thank you!" She shows it to Peter and SJ still beaming with enthusiasm.

"This means you can also drive yourself to school. I would suggest the car until spring," Steve says. Sarah beams as she pockets the keys cheerfully.

"I have one last present," Tony says. "This one is for everyone that lives in the Tower. JARVIS, the hologram if you please." Tony motions to the coffee table. "I present to you, Avengers Mansion. It's a lot bigger and roomier than the Tower. And by the end of the school year, the place's renovations will be done."

"Holy Tony. That place looks huge," Clint remarks.

"It was my parent's residence in New York. I've had crews doing the general construction for the past few months. Moved the whole place back from the road and put up a wall around the place and had more underground floor put in. The last few months Stark Industries is doing the last renovations on the place," Tony explains. "It'll have more labs, exercise rooms, offices, and rooms than I have here. Of course, we'll still use the facilities here but it will give everyone even more room. And a larger kitchen."

"This sounds wonderful!" Thor cheers.

"Tony this is amazing," Steve says.

"Arc reactor?" Bruce asks.

"Yep, next gen too. Yours will last longer than the one here in the tower." SJ and Sarah exchange excited faces. A ding goes off in the kitchen.

"Oh, Natasha, give me a hand will you?" Pepper asks. With that, all the adult women leave the room.

"Sir," JARVIS says, "some of Peter and Sarah's friends are here to see them. Shall I send them up?"

"Go ahead." Tony holds out an envelope to Peter. Peter takes it and reads the letter his eyes widening with each word.

"What do you think?" Bruce asks.

"Oh my god. Legit?" Peter asks Tony and Bruce.

"Yep. You would be a scientist and you'd be getting paid. You can leave the Bugle now," Tony says. "What Fury said about SHIELD paying your checks is partially correct. Some of it is from SHIELD, the rest will be Stark Industries, if you accept," Tony says.

"Of course! Thank you Tony!" Peter laughs excitedly. The elevator dings and the kids turn to see the others coming down the hall.

"Peter?" Mary Jane calls.

"Over here." The group walks in and smiles at Peter. Sarah helps him stand up and Ava hugs him.

"God Peter," Ava whispers, "we shouldn't have left for the holidays."

"Ava, no big deal, really," Peter insists. "I'm healing up just fine." Ava releases him and Gwen wraps her arms around him.

"Peter, god, don't you ever scare me like that again!" Gwen snaps. "I was so worried!"

"Gwen, still a little sore here."

"Sorry."

"It's fine. Sarah and the Avengers already got the guys," Peter tells her. Gwen steps away and Harry hugs Peter too.

"Man, you scared the hell out of me."

"Sorry Harry."

"Peter, we left you alone for three days, and what do you do?" Luke demands. "Why must you always cause so many problems? I'm joking. I'm just glad you're all right, Peter."

"Thanks Luke."

"Didn't your spider sense go off?" Sam asks.

"No. I was about to zip off and I had jumped up, then I heard a shot and felt the pain. I just got the hell out of there and called Sarah," Peter says. "What was that hospital I was in anyway?"

"Veteran and SHIELD agent hospital," Phil answers. "Good to see you kids relaxed for once."

"Coulson," Luke says a little stunned.

"Call me Phil right now. I'm off the clock and with family."

"Uncle Phil, when are you ever off the clock?" Sarah questions.

"That's a good point."

"Sarah, why don't you and your friends go see your new car?" Tony suggests. "Then go look at the skycycle."

"Sure Tony. Come on!" Sarah says excitedly. Peter goes with the group down in the elevator while Sarah and SJ take the stairs via a set of repelling lines through the center of the staircase.

"That never gets old," SJ mutters.

"I'm glad Mom and Clint installed them. It's good for training and for traveling," Sarah laughs. They disconnect from the lines and walk out into the garage. The elevator rings and the others look at them in shock.

"There's a set of repelling ropes," SJ says. "But I think we'll take the elevator back up." Sarah nods and they head over to Sarah's car, a 2013 SRT Viper. One look at the mileage said it hadn't been driven farther than from the dealership to wherever it was parked until today. The paint job was a darker red but not quite a burgundy.

"HOLY! THIS IS YOUR CAR!" Sam shouts.

"Tony spoils me," Sarah comments. She opens the door and smiles as she sits down in it. The soft leather seats glide over her fingertips.

"I'm not sure you want to drive this to school," Luke comments.

"I know," Sarah replies. "Harry, what do you think?"

"Driving this to school might be dangerous. Especially in New York traffic," Harry says.

"Miss Rogers," JARVIS says. Harry and Gwen jump. "If you would start the car, Mr. Stark has some features he wanted me to show you." Sarah closes the door, starts the car, and rolls down the window. "If you press the blue button next to the hazard lights you will see a better choice on how to get to school." Sarah looks nervously at the others before pressing the blue button. She laughs as the car starts to hover in the air. "He trusts you can use the car properly and land somewhere before parking at school."

"Thank you JARVIS." Sarah disengages the hover mode and lands on the ground again. She notes the few defense systems as well.

"I am also installed in the computer and will aid you in any way I can."

"JARVIS, how long did Tony spend customizing the car?" SJ asks.

"Two months."

"His birthday we are getting him something extra special," Sarah says. "To the hanger?" she asks the group. They nod and go upstairs. Parked next to Clint's skycycle is the dark red skycycle that matches the red on her uniform. She smiles brightly as she looks it over.

"I want one," SJ complains.

"You have to remember, little brother, you're not old enough yet. A few more years," Sarah insists. Sarah sits down on it and smiles comfortably on the seat. With a click of a button, the skycycle morphs under her to become a modified motorcycle that has SI in the Iron Man helmet on the side.

"Holy shit," Harry says. "I'm impressed."

"Tony out did himself."

"This is all handmade, well, as close to handmade as Tony gets," Sarah comments. "Amazing."

"Children," JARVIS says.

"WE ARE NOT CHILDREN!" a few voices ring out.

"My apologies. They have started a movie downstairs. Mr. Stark was wondering if you would be joining them."

"I'm coming," Sarah says. She looks at the others who nod. "All of us are coming."

"I shall inform them." The kids go to the living room and settle in on the floor or random furniture to watch the movie. It was White Christmas; apparently, it's a classic according to Tony. After the movie, the gang splits leaving the Avengers and company with the Parkers.

"This is amazing," SJ says to Sarah as they head to the dinner table. "I mean, we have our friends and family with us for our first Christmas. I didn't even know what Christmas was until a month ago!"

"I know little brother," Sarah whispers kissing the top of SJ's head sadly. "Uh, I need to use the bathroom." Sarah walks off and sits down on the toilet with the cover down. She puts her hands to her face and lets the tears fall down. The door silently opens and Sarah feels Natasha's arms wrap around her.

"I know, it's shocking to find out people do give a damn," Natasha whispers holding her baby close.

"It's not that. It's just that SJ never got a Christmas before this and I did. One little Christmas when I was four. I got cookies, hot chocolate, new clothes, and two weeks of no pain, no training, and being able to see the sun and the snow," Sarah whimpers. "I never wanted a Christmas after that because I didn't want to be let down or have things taken away from me." Natasha holds her closer and kisses Sarah's forehead.

"Sarah, we all go through different things. I didn't have a normal childhood but I'm happy now. You should be too." Sarah nods and hugs her mom tightly. Natasha sighs. In most ways, Sarah's a normal 16 year old. Sure, she has the superpower issue, but she's pretty normal. But in other ways, she's a small frightened child wanting normalcy. Natasha calms her down after a few minutes. "You think you can handle dinner?" Natasha asks.

"Yeah." Natasha smiles and they rejoin the family. No one asks, at one point or another everyone of the Avengers and company had had to leave because of something similar. Peter must have warned Aunt May because she didn't comment on it either.

"No wine for the kids," Natasha said to Tony as he brings out bottles.

"First off, I wouldn't affect Sarah and SJ. Secondly, I'm not that stupid Natasha. And thirdly, is that even a word," Bruce nods, "sounds weird, anyway I bought non-alcoholic wine for the kids," Tony states. He hands the bottle to Natasha who nods in acceptance. She pours it for Peter, Sarah, and SJ before the adults take their wines in hand. Other than Natasha, Bobbi, and Pepper, who also takes the non-alcoholic. No one comments on it if they noticed.

"To life, family, and happiness," Steve says holding his glass up.

"Cheers," Tony says.

"Skål," Thor continues.

"Prost," Steve adds.

"Будем здоровы," Natasha adds.

"Saúde," Bruce continues.

"Salute ," SJ says.

"Kanpai ," Sarah pipes in.

"Salud," Clint pipes up. "Now may we drink?" That causes the whole table to laugh.

"Sarah, I didn't know you spoke Japanese," Pepper comments.

"Don't use it much. Besides, little brother took the one I was going to say. "

"Italian, SJ?" Steve inquires.

"First one that popped into my head." The family laughs and digs into the good dinner.

"Are they happy, Heimdall?" Loki asks as he and the Gatekeeper talk inside of Heimdall's observatory. "I can watch Sarah, but it pains me."

"They are feasting," Heimdall informs Loki. "Lady Sarah however is quite distracted with emotions. Today has been quite emotional for her."

"Has anything interesting happened to her?" Loki inquires.

"Today, no. You know of last night. But before that, she went to see a man who put up walls to block out a portion of her memories. And the night before that she was captured by someone that wished to do harm to her," Heimdall explains.

"She did not tell me of that," Loki remarks.

"She did not want to worry you, Prince. One of the memories they walled up was part of that night," Heimdall continues. "She misses you." Loki turns on his heels and walks back toward the castle. "What are you going to do?"

"See my father." Heimdall smiles as Loki walks away. He had bet Hogun that Loki would not last two week. Hogun had to smile five times a day for the next year. Loki walks into the palace where Odin had been attempting to relax after a long day dealing with some gods.

"Son," Odin acknowledges as Loki approaches him, "how can I help you?"

"I wish to go to Midgard and reside there."

"Less than a week, I believe Heimdall and I won the bets," Odin comments. "Guard, send for Sif." Sif comes in after a few minutes. "Go to Thor. Tell him to bring Mister Stark and Mister Rogers here. I must talk to the men." Sif nods and opens her way into Midgard. "If you go, Loki, I think you will need a different guise."

"Lady Sif!" Sarah shouts and falls out of her chair in a rush to stand up.

"Calm, young one," Sif says. "I came to see Thor. May I talk to you, milord?" Thor nods and puts his napkin down on the table. He follows Sif into the living room where they talk for a few moments.

"Captain, Tony, the All-Father seeks an audience with you," Thor says. "Sif and I will take you."

"For what?" Cap asks.

"I am not sure." Steve kisses Natasha and Sarah before going with Thor. Tony kisses Pepper and leaves with the Asgardians.

"We must return home, Peter," May says.

"I'll pull the SUV around. SJ, mind helping Peter with their presents?" Clint asks.

"No problem." Everyone else divides up for dishes and clean up. Sarah hugs Peter and May before they leave. Clint returns an hour later having dropped them off and flown back. Sarah retires to her room for a long hot bubble bath, something Pepper had introduced her to. The others watch movies on the TV while swapping stories.

"Loki wants to live on Earth?" Tony scoffs looking at the god. "Can I ask why?"

"Sarah," Steve tells Tony. The two Avengers exchange a glance. "They're family now. You've seen her Tony, she's been sad since she got back."

"What are the conditions?" Thor inquires looking up at his father.

"Loki will transform himself into a teenager and attend school with Sarah," Odin starts. "He will dress and act like a mortal. His magic will still be with him. However, if he slips up once, all you have to do is tell Heimdall and Heimdall will bring him back instantly. He shall also help protect Midgard. Loki loves her like a brother would a sister, he should watch out for her as one. I ask that you consider our request." Steve looks at Loki.

"May I speak with Loki alone for a moment?" Steve inquires.

"You may." Loki motions for Steve to follow him. They walk out to a balcony and lean against the railing. Steve faces the skies while Loki faces Steve.

"You know Earth's attitude toward you," Steve says.

"Yes, that is why I would like to try and make up for the things I have done with helping Sarah on her own duties," Loki says.

"Was Sarah telling the truth when she said you have changed?" Steve asks looking at Loki. "If you deceived my daughter, I will be very disappointed."

"I would never do that to Sarah. Captain, when I came to Earth to aid in the retrieval of you and the other Avengers, I came against my will. I was bound to Sarah. Though we were not intricately bound, Sarah still made an effort to protect me from the mortals that did not want me there. She showed me that family isn't just blood," Loki recalls. "I do not know if it was back then that I started to care for her, but I do care for her. She said since Thor was family, by extension I could be. She cared. She did not care that I am a monster, an abomination, a menace. She saw someone that was quite lost. I believe being around her was the first time since before the Chitauri had me that I was able to think clearly. I suppose their conditioning broke around her as well.

"I saw her as a person that had broken the walls, restraints, challenges, and punishments that had been thrown at her. I saw her as a person that had just as much pain as I but hid it quite well. She always tried to help me. Asking what was wrong. And when she was here in Asgard, she treated me like an equal. She neither feared me nor worshipped me. She just loved me for who I was to her. It is stronger than the bond Thor and I had as children. I couldn't hurt her if I tried," Loki insists.

"What are your intentions with my daughter?" Steve asks.

"I wish to be her friend and protector. She told me that you cannot look out for her at school. I can transform myself into a teenager and protect her. She also has frequent nightmares, I'd like to be able to help her with those," Loki says. "I've had to hold her a few times. I suppose you have as well."

"Then we need some boundaries," Steve settles looking at Loki. "I know that Sarah has nightmares and troubles sleeping, so you may help her with those. You have to be responsible with her. Make sure she's safe. And lastly your duties of helping Sarah's superhero side must not interfere with both of your schooling."

"I accept your conditions."

"You may spend tonight in Sarah's rooms. She's had some problems the last few nights and I'm sure she's not going to let you go for the next few hours. Also, I'm sure Natasha will have a few of her own rules as well. Additionally, if you're going to be helping Sarah, I don't think your battle armor is the proper attire to wear in New York in particular. They hate you," Steve says offhandedly. Loki transforms into a teenager and then adds an armor exterior. "That'll work."

"Yes, I've been working on the newer color scheme and look since I aided you those months ago." The greens on his clothes are different shades but there are far more gold colors on the uniform. It also is varied from his previous look, like the helmet. He leaves that Loki-accessory off.

"Loki, who is Gunnarr?" Steve asks cautiously. Loki looks up at him sharply as he turns back into an adult in his normal clothes.

"Gunnarr was a teen," Frigga says walking out of the shadows to see the pair there. Steve and Loki look at her quickly. "While Sarah was here, she was typically escorted about by a member of the Warriors Three or my dear son Loki. The rumors coming around were quite unbearable. Gunnarr's father is a dear friend of Odin's. He became Sarah's escort about Asgard. I believe they were falling in love. They talked about going to Midgard together. However, the Warriors Three, Sif, and Sarah went on a trip to another realm and were attacked. Heimdall informed us of it and Loki went with Gunnarr to help them. Gunnarr tackled Sarah and took an arrow to the chest. He died in her arms. It took her a week to get semi normal again. She trained nonstop for a week straight before Odin talked with her about it."

"That explains some of her sadness," Steve murmurs.

"She mourns for him," Loki agrees. "Shall we return to the throne room?" Steve nods and Frigga walks ahead of them. Loki leads Steve back to the throne room. Steve walks up next to Tony.

"How did it go?" Tony asks.

"I'll allow him. Will you?" Steve asks.

"If I must." Steve smiles and claps Tony on the back.

"What is your decision?" Odin inquires.

"Loki and I discussed some minor conditions about being with Sarah. He accepted the terms and I have accepted yours," Steve states. "Tony has also agreed to allow him to join us as well." Thor beams at the prospect of having his brother around now. Sif hugs Thor as Thor keeps a hand on Sif's stomach.

"Loki will need clothes," Odin states.

"We'll go shopping in the morning. For now, I think we can find something that will fit him," Steve states.

"He has prepared a bag of things he wishes to bring from here."

"Perfectly acceptable. Thor did the same," Tony says.

"Loki," Odin says and Loki looks to his father, "come forward and I will make your shift more permanent so you do not have to concentrate on the spell." Loki walks forward to Odin and Odin sets his hand on Loki's shoulder. Odin's magic, greater than Loki's own magic, lasts longer as well. A small mark on Loki's teenage shoulder seals him in the teenage form. Odin smiles at the sight of a younger Loki.

"Thank you Father. I will not mess this up."

"I believe you. Good travels." Loki walks to his bag and picks it up. Sif kisses Thor and the two Avengers give their friend an odd look.

"She is my wife and carrying my first born," Thor explains. The two Avengers nod. Sif opens the portal and the four depart through it. They emerge on the terrace of the building. Clint opens the door and lets them all in. Loki looks to the archer.

"I would like to apologize for last year, Agent Barton. I never did and I am sorry for what I put you through. As am I sorry for what I put the rest of you through," Loki states looking at each Avenger.

"Brother, you must learn how to speak with a mortal pattern," Thor tells him. "They use words like 'wouldn't' and 'can't'. I'm sure you will pick it up quickly."

"Yes Brother."

"So, he's moving in?" Clint inquires.

"Yes," Steve answers. Clint holds his hand out to Loki.

"Clean slate," Clint says as Loki takes his hand. "But I'm only doing this for Sarah."

"Is it really that obvious?" Loki inquires.

"She's looked like a heart sick puppy for the past few days," Bruce comments. "We're even as well." Loki smiles and nods. Pepper walks forward and the men all back away from Loki. Pepper grabs his collar and Loki's eyes widen.

"You mess with my family in any way that will harm them and you will learn why the only person that Tony truly fears is me and not Natasha," Pepper snarls. "Other than that, welcome to the family." Loki nods and swallows as Pepper walks away.

"Brother, is she related to Sif? She has much the same temper as Sif or the Valkyrie."

"I have noted," Thor chuckles. Natasha walks over and smiles at Loki.

"Even though we've had our issues, Loki," Natasha says with a smile, "my daughter loves you and hence I will accept you as a stepson. However, you break her heart, you hurt her in any way, and I will show you true pain. Welcome to the family!" Natasha says with a laugh and hugs Loki. Loki loosely hugs her back and Natasha smiles at the 6'3" teenager.

"May I see Sarah?" Loki inquires.

"She's taking a bubble bath," SJ says.

"I'll go tell her someone's here to see her. Steve, Tony, why don't you show Loki to his room?" Natasha suggests.

"We put him next to Sarah," Tony states plainly. "We figure he can help chance her nightmares away." Natasha says something in Russian that no one catches.

"Loki, before we show you to your room, I think Thor has someone he'd like you to meet," Steve says motioning to Jane.

"Ah yes, Loki. You never officially met Jane nor Darcy. Jane my brother," Thor says and Jane nods.

"Loki."

"Lady Jane."

"And this is Darcy Lewis," Thor says motioning to Darcy who has her taser in hand. "Darcy, put that away."

"He scares me!" Jane takes the taser away.

"I'm Betty Ross," Betty says from her place tucked in next to Bruce.

"Agent Bobbi Morse." Bobbi smiles at Loki.

"What have I gotten myself into," Loki mutters as he follows Steve and Thor to his room with Natasha twenty steps ahead to see Sarah. Natasha opens the door into Sarah's room and knocks on the door to the bathroom.

"Who is it?"

"Natasha, can I come in?"

"Sure Mom." Natasha opens the door to find Sarah neck deep in bubbles. "I was just going to get out."

"Oh good. When you're done redressing there's someone in the living room that you should meet. He's going to be living her for the foreseeable future," Natasha explains.

"'Kay Mom." Sarah climbs out once Natasha is out of the bathroom and drains the water. After drying her hair with the towel, she puts on some lounge clothes, with a bra underneath, and walks out to the lounge.

"So, did you tell her?" Clint asks Natasha and this peaks Sarah's interest.

"No and she'll be here any minute," Natasha reprimands him. Sarah rounds the corner and searches the room for the new face. But it wasn't new. He had been looking at Thor when the god motioned behind him. Loki turns and smiles at Sarah. The room is deadly still as they wait to see what will happen next.

Sarah sprints across the space and jumps into Loki's awaiting arms. He swings her around and smiles as she buries her head in his hair. Sarah's legs wrap around his waist and she holds herself close to him. The moment is tender and sweet as Loki rubs her back slowly. Sarah puts her feet on the ground and separates some from Loki. She kisses his cheek.

"What are you doing here?" she asks.

"I couldn't even make it a week without you," Loki murmurs softly. "I'm moving in."

"You are?"

"He's got the room next to yours," Tony says with a chuckle. "Steve and I couldn't object to seeing you happy." Sarah hugs Loki again and the god smiles.

"He's going to school with you too. You'll have to go shopping. Wait, you're going with Rogue and Laura tomorrow. You can take him with you! Clint could you let him borrow some clothes for tonight and tomorrow?" Steve asks.

"Sure thing. Come on Loki let's get you some clothes. Sarah, you can have your new brother back after he has regular clothes. Why don't I just show him to your room? I'm sure you'd love to catch up," Clint says.

"That be wonderful Clint." Clint and Loki walk out. Sarah tackles Tony and Steve in hugs.

"Thank you for letting him come," she says.

"No problem. Loki's allowed to help you with your nightmares as well," Steve says.

"I got it Dad. We're like siblings, nothing bad will happen!" Sarah runs off and Natasha puts a hand to her face.

"Three words," Bruce says, "World War Three." The scientist throws one finger up with each word to prove his point.

"This should be interesting," Pepper agrees. Sarah returns to her room and tidies the place up. There's a knock on her door and she opens it to find Loki. He comes into the room and Sarah closes the door.

"I missed you," she whispers closing her arms around him again.

"And I you. Sarah, I thought you should know I know what happened the day you returned. Heimdall informed me," Loki explains.

"I have some of it blocked off behind a wall."

"He told me that as well. I am always here for you." Sarah nods and buries her face in his neck. After a few silent moments, she separates from him slightly.

"Can we lay down? It's been a long day."

"The word is lie, not lay. And yes," Loki replies. He sweeps her off her feet and lays her down on the queen-sized bed. Loki crawls in next to her and pulls the blankets up around them. Sarah lies down with her head on his shoulder and her fingers in his hair. His hair is still long; he'd probably need a ponytail. Sarah spots the mark on his shoulder.

"What's this mark?"

"It allows me to be in this form without having to concentrate on keeping the spell going. Odin basically reverted me into a teenager again," Loki answers. Loki smiles as he wraps his arms around her. "So, anything funny I want to hear about?"

"I don't know if you'd consider it funny but I did scare the living hell out of J. Jonah Jameson the idiot news guy that's been tormenting Peter for a year or more," Sarah chuckles. Loki can't just help but laugh at his stepsister. "What about Sigyn?"

"She understands, she encouraged it. My wife knows my happiness is hard to find and protecting those I care about makes me happy. I'm sure she'll come around for a visit or two," Loki chuckles.

"If she does, I'm going on a trip while she's here. She'll ravish you," Sarah says with a smirk.

"You?"

"She's very vocal, isn't she?" Sarah teases.

"How can I get your promise of silence?" Loki inquires.

"You have it Loki. You're family, I don't abandon my family," Sarah says softly before cuddling into his side. "I miss him."

"I know, dear one."

"Last night, I dreamed of not getting to Peter in time. Then he joined the dreams and then it was the two of them. I miss him very much," Sarah whimpers turning her face into his shoulder. He strokes her back softly.

"Dear one, you will find someone who will replace him. You know of soul mates, yes?" Sarah nods into his shoulder. It had been in one of the many books she had read over the summer. "He was not yours, but your love for him was quite powerful. When two souls find their match, there is a powerful energy between the two, a magic if you will. I have sensed that in the past you met your soul mate but he was not Gunnarr. The essence is different, but I believe he is someone connected to the Avengers. You will find love again one day."

"You promise?" Sarah whispers looking up at him.

"I promise you will find love again." Sarah nods and clings to Loki tighter. "Would you like to hear a story, young one?"

"Yes please." Loki smiles before regaling her with a story until she falls fast asleep. This was why he had come to Midgard. Here he was content with chasing away the nightmares of a frightened teenager.

* * *

(Author's note: The languages spoke for cheers are as follows: Skål (Scandinavian Languages), Prost (German), Будем здоровы (Russian), Saúde (Portugese), Salute (Italian), Kanpai (Japanese), Salud (Spanish). I thought that would help any translation issues.)

* * *

**So, I had a reader call me out on the whole threat thing. Don't worry, I'd never actually do that. It's not in my personality. I just wanted to see how long it would take for someone to notice I put that threat in there. Surprised it took that long and that no one commented that I don't follow through on them. I mean, seriously. **

**So, next thing, will Sarah find a new love? (I know the answer, do you?)**

**Um, um. Shit I had a question to ask you. And like I can't remember it. Whatever, I guess I'll ask it next time. **

**So two things I wanted to talk about:**

**1) LOKI! Say hello to the new Loki. He's teen friendly and learning that adopted families are just as good as blood family. I like him, hopefully so do you. (Crosses fingers.)**

**2) Um. Um. SHIT! I forgot. *thinking* Yeah, well, that thought left me so I guess I'll add something else in here. Uh... Freaking eh! Okay, totally not the first thing I was thinking of but how do you like the super crew and Peter's friends stopping in for Christmas? If I were Harry, I would have taken pictures. **

**OH YEAH! I REMEMBER NOW! I had it brought to my attention that Sarah is a bit of a Mary-Sue. Let's face it, a lot of OC's that are center characters are. Unfortunately, there is one chapter a ways a way that is massively Mary-Sue, but I have a reason on why the character survives 1) nature of the DNA in the character and 2) the doctors treating said character. So, yeah, just forewarning. **

**While we're on the subjects of forewarning, time travel is a go! I've had the chapters written since last update so yeah, they're happening. If I cut them, I'd have to rewrite a lot of stuff I've already written. Sucks in that aspect. I'll give you all a warning when the time travel is coming up though.**

**Semi spoiler/forewarning, the wedding of Natasha and Steve, it's supposed to be in the spring, but then it got changed to January, and now it's March 1st. So, yeah, do the math and you'll figure out that there are a number of chapters between now and the wedding. Sorry, some things in my head decided that they were going to screw up the plot. I am sorry. **

**And there is a new character next chapter who will be having a lot to do with the rest of the story. So, yeah spoiler. **

**Talk to you all later. I updated tonight since I have an NHS induction ceremony tomorrow. I don't even want to be in it but I was forced to do the paperwork. Wish me luck. **


	14. Calm Before the Storm

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE AVENGERS OR SPIDER-MAN AND HIS FRIENDS! (as illustrated in the skit following) **

***In the air vents of Stark Tower* **

**Clint: So, are we going to continue this game or are you going to say it?**

**Me: *slides down an vertical air duct shaft using a repelling wire* Hell no. Go away. **

**Clint: You do realize I'll find you right? *Clint crawls up to the wire and cuts it, luckily Me was on the next level* **

**Me: You'll never catch me! **

**Clint: I'm a trained assassin! **

**Me: And I'm a fan girl who knows a shit load about you, this Tower, and everyone in it! **

**Clint: If I can't find you in five hours, I'll teach you to be an archer and how to be a SHIELD level spy! **

**Me: *above him in another air duct* You're on bird brain! **

***Seven hours later* **

**Clint: *muttering to himself* Where the hell is she?! **

**Me: I'm right here. **

**Clint: *looks around* Where? **

**Me: *kicks away fake duct wall and smiles at Clint* I had Tony install it for me during hour one. I knew there was this little spot, so I just closed it off, got the AC to reroute to it with some of the mini-robots helps, and waited. **

**Clint: Cheater. **

**Me: Says king cheater himself. So, you have to train me to be an archer and a SHIELD level spy. But, just to show you I'm nice, I'll say it. I do not own the Avengers, Spider-Man, or anything by Marvel. Happy Clint? **

**Clint: Sure. Now, can we please get out of here? I got tired of this three hours ago. **

**Me: I took a nap. **

**Clint: First lesson, how to evade a pissed off assassin. I'll give you a two minute head start. **

**Me: *dives through the ducts and out of a random air vent.***

***Thirty seconds later***

**Me: You cheated. **

**Clint: Not giving a fuck right now. *Has her pinned to the ground.* Lesson two, five hours of intense hand to hand combat. Go suit up. I'm sure Cap will give you the necessary padding. **

**Me: I'm dead. (To the readers: Please read the bottom author's note)**

* * *

The next morning, Steve and SJ are up early at seven and in the hanger by five to 8. The X-Men's Blackbird touches down in the hanger with grace. Pepper and Natasha come from the elevator still half-asleep. The ramp falls down and four figures come out of the blackbird.

"Morning," Logan says grumpily. "The boy insisted on coming along," Logan says motioning to Gambit.

"That's no problem," Pepper insists. Gambit, Rogue, and Laura follow the girls out while SJ looks at Steve nervously.

"I'll be there with you the whole time SJ, if you want me to," Steve says. SJ nods softly and follows Logan up into the plane with Steve. SJ hadn't been pleased when he was told about his session with the Professor but if it helped his sister, maybe it could help him too. SJ knows his memories aren't as bad as Sarah's but he still needs some help. The plane takes off smoothly toward northern New York.

"Please, sit down, I'll have JARVIS tell Sarah you're here," Pepper says. "JARVIS."

"I will notify young Miss Rogers now," JARVIS responds.

"Pepper and I will be going with you," Natasha informs the trio. "Sarah's, uh, stepbrother is coming with us."

"Stepbrother?" Laura questions.

"Well, she treats him like a brother," Natasha explains.

Loki breathes in a little deeper as he wakes up with Sarah curled up against his side. The younger is breathing easily but the tears on her face hint that she had at least one nightmare last night. Loki had never really been the older brother to someone before. The only person he had to constantly look out for was Thor behind Thor's back. Even then, Thor was the older and babied his brother. Loki sighs as he looks down at Sarah. He had children and knew a good deal about raising them. They hadn't always been monsters after all. But Sarah is different, she is a mortal, she had been born to be evil, and she fought to be good. Loki's parental instincts kick in slightly as she whimpers.

"Sarah, sister, wake up," Loki coaxes. Sarah's eyes snap open instantly. Loki had said those words to her many times in Asgard when she had her nightmares. Somehow, it always caused her to wake up instantly. "Bad dream?"

"Yeah." Sarah sits up and runs a hand through her messy hair. "Thanks for being there."

"Family is always there for each other," Loki insists. He kisses her forehead softly. "Do you wish to talk about it?"

"I was dreaming of being in that cell again," Sarah confesses. Loki nods. She had told him in great detail once what those dreams were about. He was honestly surprised that she hadn't gone crazy yet.

"Mr. Odinson, Ms. Rogers, your guests have arrived," JARVIS reports. "You are going out for breakfast." Sarah stands up and goes to her closet. Loki takes his borrowed clothes and changes in the bathroom after a shower. Sarah is clothed and ready to go when he comes back out. The pair walks down the hall to the lounge room where the X-Men are waiting. Natasha and Pepper walk out from the kitchen and smile at the pair.

"So this is your stepbrother?" Laura scoffs. "Smells like Loki."

"Pleasure to see you again as well, Miss Logan," Loki replies. "Miss Rogue."

"Wait, is dat who Ah think it is?" Rogue demands.

"I am Loki of Asgard. Though I suppose I need a new name," Loki mutters putting a few fingers to his lip. He looks at Gambit. "I do not believe we have had the pleasure of meeting before."

"Remi LeBeau, buh meh friends call meh Gambit," Gambit replies. "Rogue is my Cher."

"Gambit, good to see you again. Rogue, how are you?" Sarah asks.

"Better. Yourself?"

"I'm much better. Now, when do we leave?" Sarah asks looking at her mother.

"The second all of you pile into the limo downstairs," Pepper answers. "Our shopping will take us out of the city a bit. We might as well enjoy ourselves." With that, the whole group files into the elevator and then into the limo to go out. Loki holds the door open for Sarah and she smirks as he continues to hold it for the rest of the group.

"Who are you and what have you done with Loki?" Laura questions.

"Is there an issue, Miss Logan?" Loki asks.

"You're not acting like yourself, Loki. It's a little odd," Natasha offers. "Kids, mission for today, teach Loki how to speak like a regular teenager."

"Mom, that's like saying 'teach Thor how to use the microwave' and we all know how that turned out," Sarah chuckles. The results of that "accident" had been left over Chinese plastered on every surface of the kitchen with the destroyed microwave thrown in the sink to extinguish the fire. Bruce also had to take care of a number of burns from flying pieces of metal. Pepper banned Thor from going any closer than five feet to the microwave with any part of his body.

"I, unlike my brother, can be taught. I learned how to use your technology quite well," Loki counters.

"Loki, how would you tell someone that you can't be where you need to be?" Laura asks.

"Friend or foe?" Loki inquires.

"Friend."

"Sorry, friend, I have a prior engagement and cannot be there," Loki replies.

"The correct response would be," Sarah says with a chuckle.

"Sorry, I can't be there. Maybe next time," Laura replies dryly. "Sarah, you were right."

"We can't all be perfect, Miss Logan," Loki snarls.

"I'm not close to perfect. Also, that sentence was perfect until you called me Miss Logan. You look my age, call me Laura." Loki puts a hand to his face in annoyance. Sarah's hand lands on his shoulder.

"Loki, you need to learn this."

"I know. And to think, I start school with you soon," Loki scoffs.

"That reminds me," Natasha says with a smirk. "We came up with a name for your time in public. Lukas Norling is your name. You're a second-generation immigrant from Sweden; it explains your slight accent. Your parents worked for SI but were killed. With no family and being a US citizen, Tony and Pepper took you in as your legal guardians."

"Shoot me now," Loki complains. "You do know that Stark will torture me, correct? He's going to rub it in my face that he's my guardian for the stay. Couldn't it be Thor?" The kids laugh at Loki's obvious frustration.

"Come now, Loki, Lukas isn't that bad of a name. Just three letters off of yours," Sarah teases. Loki rolls his eyes causing the group to chuckle. He was picking up being a teenager quite easily.

North of NYC, at Xavier's Institute, Steve watches as his son lies down on the bed. He had agreed to the psych exam first followed by a verbal conversation. Steve takes his son hand and squeezes it.

"I'll be with Logan," Steve tells him. SJ nods and looks to the Professor. The teenager nods for the professor to start and relaxes his body the best he can. Steve watches silently for a moment before leaving the room. He finds Logan waiting for him in the foyer.

"What's bothering you Steve?" Logan asks as they head to the kitchen to sit and drink coffee for a few hours.

"Logan, remember the day after Sarah left for her trip to Asgard when we had to call McCoy in to help with a medical issue?" Steve inquires.

"I remember." Steve and Logan sit at the table with a cup in their hands.

"I was dying," Steve says glancing up at his old friend. "My serum was disintegrating rapidly. They worked on a cure but couldn't find one with my blood alone. So they tried Sarah and SJ's blood because they have serum. They made a cure from their samples so I'm fine now. I was so close to dying, and it scared me. I would be leaving SJ and Sarah alone with the Avengers. I'm they're dad. I mean, my dad died early, I barely remember him. But they know me. If I had died, god, Sarah would have gone nuts. She would have been the next Red Skull probably or Zemo."

"Steve, your kids are in good hands," Logan insists.

"I know they are. I'm just worrying. And another thing, they tested to see the difference between our DNA strands," Steve begins as he glances at his friend over his coffee mug. "SJ, he's not really my first gen clone."

"What do you mean?"

"The other boys, the ones older than Sarah, they all had instabilities and had to be medicated. We know that from when we found their bodies. But Sarah and SJ, they're perfectly fine in most aspects. Sarah's DNA, hers was the break through. Her blood was then copied when she was an infant and cloned with the introduction of my male gene back into those markers that needed it to create SJ. In reality, he's both Sarah and mine clone because of the small genetic difference between me and Sarah," Steve explains. "I haven't had the heart to tell either of them."

"Don't, they don't need to know," Logan insists. "You're all clones, one way or another. Just be happy you have your daughter back, Steve." Steve nods and sets his head down on the table.

Back in New York City, Peter swings through the air with Ava and Nova hot on his tail. The trio tackles the kidnappers and Danny snatches Cassie Lang from their grasps.

"Cassie, hold still!" Danny orders as he goes to release her from her ropes a few blocks away.

"I want my dad!"

"I'm going to take you to him." Danny picks up the small child and runs through the streets to the waiting SUV. Scott jumps out of the SUV with Bobbi watching from inside of the SUV. Scott Lang had just signed up to work with SHIELD full time.

"Dad!" Cassie giggles jumping into her father's arms. Scott holds her close and looks at Danny.

"Thank you."

"Not a problem."

"Iron Fist," Bobbi says and Danny looks at her, "the Avengers family has another member. Just thought I'd let you know. Fury will brief you when you get back to the helicarrier."

"Thanks Agent Morse." Bobbi nods and Danny runs off to help his friends. Luke grabs him and flings him at the attackers causing Danny to strike them out like they were bowling.

"REALLY!" Danny shouts breaking his usual characteristic monk like attitude.

"Sorry, first thing that came to mind," Luke confesses. Danny simmers for a few minutes before telling them that they have to head back to the helicarrier.

"I am going to shoot you," Clint snarls at a random recruit. "YOU DO NOT USE THE LAST ARCHERY TARGET!" Clint's temper is at well, Level Hulk right now. Some crack shot new agent, codename Bowman, had used the last archery target. Bowman holds out a stack of new targets.

"That's why I got these, Agent Barton. I'm sorry I upset you. I didn't mean to. You're the reason I wanted to join SHIELD," Bowman says. The kid can't be 18 yet.

"How old are you?"

"I'll be 18 in June but I've been with the agency for a little over a year."

"That young?"

"I'm a special case."

"Just what we need around here, another special case. That makes what? Six or eight of you young guns? Let's see what you got, kid." Bowman smiles and draws his bow, identical to Hawkeye's, back and releases the arrow. "Not bad kid."

"Thank you sir!"

"Where'd Fury pick you up?" Clint inquires.

"Michigan." Clint nods as he sends a target down the range and notches an arrow. "Can you give me some tips, Agent Barton, sir?"

"First, don't call me sir. You're about the age of my niece so that makes me feel really old," Clint mutters. "Secondly, practice with different weighted tips. I use explosive charges, grappling hooks, and a few other types of arrows. Each one weighs differently. You need to be able to compensate quickly for the change. Lastly, for now, get more practice with moving objects. If you can hit a moving object without looking, then you can hit a still target with a blindfold on."

"Thank you, Agent Barton." Clint smirks. He glances the golden brown/blond haired boy over. Clint chuckles at the thought of introducing the boy to his niece. That would be an interesting meet up.

"All right, now that we've eaten," Pepper says as she pulls her shirt down a bit more, "we're heading into the mall." The teenagers follow the older women into the mall and smile at all the stores.

"Gambit, why don't you and Lukas go pick out some clothes for him?" Natasha suggests. They were all getting used to calling Loki Lukas now. "I'm sure you two can find some clothes that will fit him well."

"It'd be mah pleasure ma'am," Gambit says. Sarah nods to Loki and the god follows Gambit throuh the store the group had walked into. The girls head around picking out clothes and throwing them in a basket. They meet Gambit and Loki in the teen's section and smirks at the myriad of clothes Loki has. Gambit holds out a leather coat to the god to compare it.

"Buy it," Sarah says walking up. The two men look up as Laura slings an arm around Sarah's shoulders and Rogue puts her arm up on Sarah's shoulder.

"It fits him," Laura agrees.

"If Ah wasn't in love wit Gambit, I'd date him," Rogue confesses.

"Don't blame you," Laura chuckles. The boys deposit the clothes, shoes, and a few accessories with colognes in the cart. Good thing they bought it on Tony's card.

"All right Director," Luke says sitting down at the conference table in the helicarrier with the rest of his teammates around him, "who is this new member of the Avengers family that we need to know about?"

"Loki," Fury answers shortly. "He has taken the form of a teenage boy and is currently residing at the Avengers Tower for the foreseeable future. Apparently the family bond with Sarah was too strong for him to stay away from Earth."

"Great, the God of Mischief is here," Ava mutters.

"He's not that bad, Ava, and you know it," Peter growls. "Why the form of a teenager?"

"He's going to go to school with Sarah, and he's going to have all of the classes she does as well. His cover name is Lukas Norling and he's Sarah's age. His cover story is that his parents worked for SI and were killed. Tony and Pepper are his legal guardians. I'm telling you all of this so you can keep an eye on him and make sure nothing bad happens. Also, befriend him and help him adapt to his new life," Nick orders.

"We're God babysitters?" Luke scoffs.

"Pretty much. Also, Loki will be helping Sarah in any superhero duties she performs so in extension he will also be helping you." Sam smacks his head off the table a couple of times in annoyance. There's a knock at the door and Fury looks up to see his latest young recruit standing there in full SHIELD gear.

"Bowman," Fury acknowledges.

"Sir, we have a lead on the smuggling ring," Bowman says.

"Dismissed team." Fury leads the Bowman to his office and sits down. Bowman hands him the file in front of him.

"Aaron Barton, you're a pain in my ass you know that?" Fury mutters sitting down.

"Not as bad as my uncle," Aaron says with a smirk.

"No, you're not as bad as Clint, I'll give you that." Fury looks up at the youngest of the Barton clan. "However, you're not as old as your uncle yet. Where's your father?"

"I don't know. He's still pissed off about Clint never going with him into the army and the fact that he shot him," Aaron says offhandedly. "Last I knew he was training with Trickshot to be able to take out Uncle Clint." Fury shakes his head. If Barney Barton ever went after Clint, there would be hell to pay. And the really bad thing would be Aaron Barton on Clint's side of that mini-war. Aaron holds a file out to Fury who starts to read the new paper work inside of it.

"Jesus. How many girls does that make?" Fury asks.

"Sixteen. Since these are rural races a lot of people are just saying they ran off to join the big leagues," Aaron explains. "My information leads me to believe that they're being held somewhere until a private plane comes to smuggle them out of the country." Aaron looks slightly sadder. "Her name was Angelica Jones; she was a good friend of mine."

"Pack your bags. Meet me in the hanger bay in twenty minutes. It's nearly ten now. If we fly fast enough, the two of you will be gone by eleven," Fury mutters.

"Two of us?" Aaron inquires.

"It's time you met the Captain's daughter officially. Suit up." Aaron leaves the room and gathers all the things he needs for his trip back to Michigan. He smirks at the thought of meeting the person agents had nicknamed Lady Star otherwise known as Captain America's daughter. She'd be the lure; he'd be her backup and source of knowledge.

Later that night, after the three kids have gone off to bed, the adults gather around in the living room. Pepper is sitting on Tony's lap with her head on his shoulder. Natasha is in a similar position on top of Steve. Bobbi is also in the room having come to spend time with Clint.

"So, Pepper and I have an announcement," Tony says. "Along with getting married in a few weeks," Pepper smiles at the thought, they hadn't told Sarah yet, "we are happy to announce that Pepper is pregnant with our first child. The baby is due in late June early July."

"That's great Tony!" Bruce laughs shaking his friend's hand.

"We're going to have a little Stark running around the mansion," Pepper chuckles. "It's too soon to tell the sex though."

"Let's hope the baby has your responsibility, Pep," Tony chuckles kissing his fiancée.

"Well, if they're going to break news," Clint pipes up, "Bobbi is a month pregnant with our baby. So ours will come along late July. We eloped silently a month ago." Clint shows the ring on his finger.

"I was hoping that Natasha would be the godmother," Bobbi says looking at the older woman.

"It would be my pleasure," Natasha insists. "Well, if they're coming out I guess I will. Steve and I are trying for a baby and it looks like this last round of medicine lowered my body's system enough that there just might be a little one growing inside me. If the pregnancy stays, the child is due about mid July."

"Three newborns around the same time, this shall be interesting," Thor chuckles. "I forgot to mention, Sif is pregnant with our first child. And I'm hoping Sarah will be the godmother. We expect the child in early June."

"Sarah would love that Thor!" Natasha laughs.

"Well, I want to head to bed," Pepper says.

"Pepper, Tony, can Natasha and I talk to you for a few moments?" Steve asks.

"Sure," Pepper answers. The two pairs walk to Tony's office and sit down around the room. Steve looks at Tony seriously.

"I have a few things to ask of you Tony. I need help speeding up the wedding day so Natasha doesn't have to get a new dress," Steve says. "If you would give us a hand, I'd be grateful."

"Of course Steve! How about the 18th of January? That's a week before mine and Pepper's wedding and I know that the ballroom is open," Tony says.

"You could swing that?" Steve scoffs.

"Of course."

"Done," Natasha says. "The other thing we wanted to talk about was something more of a sensitive matter."

"What is it?" Pepper asks.

"Steve and I are hoping that you will agree to be Sarah and SJ's legal guardians if anything were to happen to us before they're 18," Natasha explains. "The Avengers will take care of them, of course, but we need legal guardians and we thought you would be the best."

"Only if you agree to be likewise with our child," Tony counters.

"You have it," Steve says. The four smile and nod. The paperwork would be done soon. Natasha wraps an arm around Steve as they walk toward their room. "I want to check up on Sarah and SJ."

"I'm going to bed. If Sarah's still up, tell her," Natasha says kissing Steve on the cheek. "See you in bed sweetheart." Steve walks away while Natasha goes into their bedroom. Steve opens Sarah's bedroom door to see the blond staring at her teddy bear.

"Hey Sarah, can I come in?" Steve asks.

"Sure Dad." Steve walks into the room and sits down on the bed in front of his daughter. She sets the teddy bear to the side and looks up at Steve. "What's been bothering you and Mom lately?" Steve chuckles, figures Sarah would figure it out sometime.

"Well, there is something Natasha and I want to tell you and your brother. So, I guess I'll tell you all now. Natasha and I are getting married sooner because it appears that the medication has finally allowed us to have a child," Steve says. Sarah beams and hugs Steve tightly.

"That's great Dad! If it's a boy are you still naming it James?" Sarah questions.

"I don't know sweetie. Now, there's some more news too. I don't know if the others would want me telling you now but I might as well get it all out now. Tony and Pepper are getting married a week after Natasha and I. They are also having their first child. Clint, we just found out, has been secretly married to Bobbi Morse for a month now and she's pregnant with their firstborn. And even though you know about Thor's child, he is considering you for the role of godmother." Sarah smiles brighter.

"I'm so excited!"

"Excuse me," JARVIS says, "Director Fury is waiting in the common room. He wishes to see Miss Rogers." Sarah climbs off the bed and walks to the common room with Steve following a few steps behind. Natasha had been alerted by the quinjet flying into the hanger bay in the Tower. Fury is standing near the elevator door with Agent Aaron Barton at his side. Sarah grabs a blanket on her way through and throws it over her shoulders like a shawl. Sarah spots Aaron and pauses mid step but easily shakes it off.

"What can I do for you Nick?" Sarah asks coming closer. Steve's eyes narrow as Nick hands her a folder.

"Hopefully about to take down a human trafficking ring with your help. This is Aaron, he knows the most about the case," Nick states motioning to the teenager. Sarah takes the file and starts to read it over. "We need you to go undercover and find the girls."

"Nick, I have blond hair not red like Mom," Sarah counters.

"Wig or dye, your choice," Nick replies.

"Nick, we've talked about this. I don't want Sarah anywhere near SHIELD missions until she's 18, you know that," Steve snarls.

"Steve, the mission will take five days tops. She'll be back for the school year. If I didn't need her skill set and temper, I would have gone to Laura. Ava's skin is too dark so she doesn't qualify. Sarah is the only one young enough. You and I both know I don't want to put her in the field, but we need her," Nick says.

"Mom, I need to borrow a wig. I'll have my usual gear around in a few minutes," Sarah says handing Nick the folder back. "I'll meet you in the hanger bay. Do you have the other clothing and equipment I'll need?"

"They're waiting for you at your destination." Sarah nods and walks off. SJ and Loki are outside of her bedroom door when she comes back to her room. She walks in and grabs her uniform bag. She ducks into the bathroom as her "brothers" come into the bedroom.

"Where are you going?" Loki demands.

"Mission. I'll be back in a couple of days," Sarah answers. "SJ, look after Loki for me."

"No I don't want you to go," SJ snaps. Sarah rolls her eyes as she zips up the vest over her shirt. She had gotten faster at changing at least. She pulls her slightly longer hair up in a ponytail.

"SJ, sixteen girls are about to be shipped out of the country by a human trafficking ring. I have a chance to stop it with some other agents help. They need me to get in and find the girls," Sarah calls out of the bathroom door. She pulls her boots on and strings them up.

"I don't like this either, Sarah," Loki states as the blond walks out and grabs her equipment bag from under her bed. She retrieves her weapons from their hiding places and stashes them in the bag. Loki grabs her wrist as she goes to pick up the bag. "Sarah."

"I will be fine, I promise. I just want to help get these girls home, okay? If there was another agent, I wouldn't be doing this but I'm the only one that fits the profile close enough. Even then I have to wear a wig while on the mission. I will be fine. I'll check in with you when I land at my destination and I'll call when I'm done with my mission, okay?" Loki's gaze stays firm but gradually softens. "I promise, brothers, I will be safe."

"Come back to us safe and sound, sis," SJ says hugging her. Sarah smiles and hugs her little brother back.

"I will." Loki hugs the blond and kisses her cheek.

"If you need me, just contact me and I will be there in a flash," Loki promises.

"I know, big brother," Sarah chuckles. "You two be good while I'm gone and take care of each other. SJ, why don't you get the gang around and take Loki out to see the city or something tomorrow?"

"Will do sis." Sarah nods and walks out of the room. Loki sleeps on the floor of SJ's room that night to wake him every time the nightmares start.

"Be safe, little one," Natasha says hugging her daughter as she hands her the bag full of makeup and a few wigs.

"I will Mom. See you when I get back." Steve hugs her silently. Their eyes have the conversation that both know by heart. She walks to the elevator and goes up to the hanger bay. Aaron and Nick are waiting for her when she arrives.

"Good to be working with you, ma'am," Aaron says, "officially."

"Don't call me ma'am," Sarah counters. "Pleasure to meet you. Sarah Rogers."

"Aaron Barton, they call me Bowman." Sarah smirks at the coincidence.

"He's Clint's nephew," Nick tells her after the ramp has closed. Sarah tosses her bag next to Aaron's and sits down in one of the seats.

"So, Aaron, you went by a different name the last time we met. If I remember it was Clint back then," Sarah says looking at the teen.

"I was in basic training and not allowed to give out my personal name. You look a hell of a lot better than you did last winter," Aaron comments as they sit down on the cots on opposite sides of the plane.

"Yeah. So, you still like me?"

"I'm scared to try and rekindle anything. Your family will kill me," Aaron counters. "I mean, seriously. You have Captain American and Black Widow for parents. And if that wasn't bad enough, you also have Hawkeye, the Hulk, Iron Man, and the God of Thunder himself for uncles!"

"It's good to see you again, Aaron. We'll see how this mission goes, cherry lips."

Aaron's face goes ten different shades of red. "That was Chap Stick!"

"Whatever, they still tasted like cherry," Sarah laughs. They had met before. In the early months of her training, Sarah had met a young recruit who she frequently sparred against. He called himself Clint. After he disappeared out of the blue one day, she never heard about him again. And here he was, her partner for the mission. She wonders vaguely if his lips still taste like the cherry Chap Stick, he had kissed her after he knocked her flat on her ass during training one day. After the plane had taken off, Sarah lays down on one of the two cots and sleeps for a couple of hours. Aaron had taken the other cot.

"Please, I want to go home," a dark red head cries as she's locked in a cell.

"This is your new home," a menacing voice chuckles. The cold Michigan air nips at him as he exits the building heading back to the town with the next snowmobile race. He had one last girl to pick up. He hadn't gotten the pictures of his new candidates yet but he would get the last girl.

* * *

**So, yeah that's the chapter. HOWEVER! I HAVE QUESTIONS FOR YOU! *smiles* **

**Info concerning the questions: Set one of questions concerns Steve and Natasha's wedding. By this time, a new family member, a stepdaughter from Sarah's old corporation days, has come into the picture. So yeah, she's part of the Rogers family now. Just throwing her out there.**

**1) Who should walk Natasha down the aisle? (I have Coulson planning on it, but do you all agree?)**

**2) Who shall officiate the ceremony? Should I just come up with a random person?**

**3) Who should be Natasha's Maid of Honor?**

**4) Who should be Steve's Best Man? (Keep in mind, the Maid of Honor and Best Man make speeches and dance together.)**

**5) Who else should be bride's maids and groomsmen? Pair them if you would.**

**6) Who should be the Flower Girl?**

**7) Who should be the Ring Bearer? (He and #6 will dance together)**

**8) Who should dance with Steve for the Mother-Son dance? Do you have a song in mind?**

**9) Whoever is #1 (see question 1) will dance with Natasha. What song should it be? **

**10) Dress colors! Please send me ideas.**

**11) Suit colors for each member of the groom's side.**

**12) Any theme to the wedding?**

**13) Um... Ah yes, preferences on who shows up?**

**Now that overly long list is over. On to the next round of questions. These concern Pepper and Tony's marriage. These will be letter!**

**A) Does anyone know if Pepper's parents are alive? If they aren't, who should walk her down the aisle?**

**B) Who will dance with Tony for his Mother-Son dance? Song?**

**C) (Concerning person named in A) Got a song for their Father-Daughter dance?**

**D) Maid of Honor and Best Man?**

**E) Groomsmen and Bride's Maids, paired if you will.**

**F) Flower Girl and Ring Bearer?**

**G) Theme?**

**H) Colors for dresses? Ideas?**

**I) Suit colors?**

**J) Who should show up?**

**Yes I know, long list of questions. I would suggest just copying and pasting the questions into your review and answering them. Seriously people, I"m lost on ideas, hence the two-three day early update! (No I'm not updating this weekend. This weekend is for writing and Econ notes.) **

**Who ever answers the questions will get a mention in the next chapter, please and thank you! Expect the next update next weekend!**


	15. Bowman and Lady Star

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE AVENGERS OR SPIDER-MAN AND HIS FRIENDS! (as illustrated in the skit following)**

**Me: Natasha save me! **

**Natasha: *looks up from the book she's reading.* What?**

**Me: Clint's trying to kill me!**

**Natasha: Why?**

**Clint: *walking into the room* She wants to be trained as a SHIELD spy and wants to learn how to use a bow. I told her we're heading out for survival training. **

**Natasha: You do realize you'll probably end up killing her, right?**

**Clint: Okay, if she does the disclaimer, I'll keep a satellite phone on us and a SHIELD quinjet on standby. **

**Natasha: It's a reasonable offer. **

**Me: Fine. I do not own the Avengers, X-Men, Spider-Man or anything related to Marvel!**

**Clint: Come on, I got your bags waiting. **

**Me: I'm gonna die. **

* * *

**SPECIAL SHOUT OUT TO: MikiMouze16, lexikay98, Agent Yaoi (you goof ball you), I-Angel92, and Captain Shamrock! I have officially completed writing the wedding stuff and I think it'll be okay. **

* * *

Their plane landed in Upper Michigan early in the morning. It was about three in the morning when they landed. Fury hands the two teenage agents to their handlers for the mission, the handlers were also posing as Sarah's manager and mother. After changing into civilian clothes, they four took a two-hour drive to Newberry, Michigan and checked into the two rooms at the local Comfort Inn there. Since it was still early, they were able to easily bring in all their gear to the room and settle in for a few more hours of sleep. Sarah and Aaron had one room while Agents Jack Mitchell and Sandra Allen had the other room.

"So, what's my uncle like?" Aaron asks when both Sarah and Aaron determine they won't be able to go back to sleep after Aaron had to wake Sarah from a nightmare. The boy is examining the blond slowly and discreetly. His eyes travel up and down her body noting the different curves.

"Fun, much like a child at times. He got me into climbing through vents in the Tower that's for sure. I know them almost as well as he does. My brother and I used them to play water balloon war with the team a couple of months ago," Sarah chuckles. Sarah looks over at her fellow agent. "You'd like him." Sarah can tell the similarities between the two Barton men. Even though they didn't know each other, they look quite a bit alike.

"I hope I get to work with him one day," Aaron tells her. "It's a little hard to tell him with the family situation," Aaron continues. "My dad and his brother haven't talked in years. I don't blame Clint for not wanting to. Dad pretty much turned his back on him." Sarah nods she could understand that.

"So, you're Barney's son? I mean, Clint's not that old. I doubt that Barney settled down and had a kid," Sarah scoffs. Aaron chuckles as he turns over on the bed to face her.

"No, Barney never married my mom, but he did claim me on the birth certificate. Barney was 16 when I was born. He met my mother while he was in the circus. They kept in touch for a while, when Barney got out of the circus and turned Fed and Army on me, he got involved raising me as much as he could. He's not the best father," Aaron mutters. He thinks of his red headed father with great disdain. His thoughts turn to his mother, mostly blond but with some brown just like him. But his hair turned more gold and his mother had been intensely jealous of that. "You have a brother?" Aaron asks to change the subject.

"Didn't you know?" Sarah laughs turning onto her side to look at the boy.

"No. I mean, I heard about you from all the other agents. I mean, you're like a ghost story. No one wants to believe that the Captain has a kid when he's only been unfrozen a few years," Aaron tells her. "I knew it was true though. Nick showed me your file, said one day I might work with you. I've been working for that day since I got into SHIELD."

"Why?" Sarah asks while raising an eyebrow.

"Because I'd be able to work with somebody that my uncle considers family," Aaron states. "I've only been with SHIELD since last winter when we first learned about this ring. I was a civilian back then but I confronted a SHIELD agent that was working the case. He died trying to take the ring out. I brought in the information and Fury hired me on. I've been doing intelligence on the group since."

"This case is dear to you," Sarah notes

"The ring took away two friends of mine. Last year they were into blonds, this year red heads. By the way, isn't a wig going to fall off when you take your helmet off?" he asks. Sarah rolls her eyes and her hand glows a soft red. She brushes her hand through her hair and the blond turns red.

"That was for my dad's feelings. I picked up from magic tricks from friends," Sarah explains. "The enchantment will work for up to a week before I have to perform it again."

"You can do magic?" Aaron scoffs.

"I spent two and a half months in Asgard. I was trained by Prince Loki and a few other magicians in the art. But my power is meager," Sarah confesses.

"What's the gauntlet you wear?" Aaron inquires. A shield forms on her arm and Sarah bounces it off the walls before catching it on the gauntlet and sucking the energy back in.

"Not as good as my dad's but I like it. The gauntlet doesn't come off but Tony made it so it's disguised." Sarah concentrates for a moment and the gauntlet disappears from view and reappears when she wants it to. "There are some perks with living with the Avengers."

"So, how are you Cap's kid?"

"I'm his female clone. Long story short, a group got a hold of his blood after WWII and tried cloning him. There were seven failed males I'm aware of, myself, and my brother. There were a few others that next made it to the third trimester too but I don't consider them family since they never truly lived," Sarah answers. "I was in their possession until about a year ago when the Avengers rescued me. About six months after that, we rescued my little brother and took down the people that made us. That was my first mission. I worked alongside the Logans, Agent Barnes, and Fury Jr. on that mission."

"Amazing," Aaron chuckles. "The only training I really had was from my dad when I was younger and my mom when I got older. Now I have all this training from SHIELD."

"Where is your mom?" Sarah inquires.

"She was killed by the ring last year too. She tried to help. My dad is off training with my uncle's old mentor and not for anything good. Technically, I should be in Uncle Clint's supervision but Fury hired me instead. He didn't want to explain to Clint how he has a nephew," Aaron tells her. "Loki, he lives with you?"

"You heard about that?" Sarah can barely contain her laughter at the news.

"I walked in on the meeting with the super crew." Sarah laughs at the thought. They had probably been put in charge of babysitting Loki.

"Yeah, Loki lives at the Tower. He's like an older brother to me. He watched out for me in Asgard and saved my life earlier this year. He's a good guy, just cursed with a bad fate. He's going to be my guard at school I guess. His cover name is Lukas," Sarah tells him.

"Fits." Sarah rubs her arms and gets up to turn the heater up. Of course when she touches the gauge, it's broken.

"Figures."

"Cold?" Aaron inquires.

"Yeah."

"I got an electric blanket in my bag." Aaron climbs out of his bed and pulls the electric blanket down.

"We can share it," Sarah offers.

"I couldn't impose. Besides, a couple of months ago-."

"Aaron, we're both responsible teenagers," Sarah insists. They plug the blanket in on Sarah's half the room since she's closer to the wall and not the windows like Aaron. Aaron has to lie on his side and wrap his arms around Sarah for them to be comfortable.

"Be glad Laura didn't have to come."

"I know. I've had the displeasure of meeting her. She scares the living hell out of me," Aaron confesses. Sarah laughs and looks up at Aaron. "I'm tired." Sarah nods and leans her head back onto his shoulder. The pair fall asleep like that and wake up to the knocking on their door a few hours later.

"Meet us in our room in ten minutes," Agent Allen says when the pair opens the door. The two teens nod and dress quickly. They join Sandra and Jack in the other bedroom and enjoy breakfast at the small table in the room.

"We're taking you to a track about an hour away," Jack states to Sarah. "We're going to get you ready for the races on Saturday." Sarah nods and starts to recall all the information she had learned about snowmobiles. She knows them inside and out, she just hadn't driven one. Today was Friday, she had one day to learn the snowmobile she'd be racing. Today was going to extremely long.

* * *

SJ growls as he punches at his father harder. Loki is watching off to the side with Clint. This had become a regular thing, SJ sparring against his father.

"Tasha punches harder than that," Steve taunts. SJ hits his dad hard on the side of the face and Steve cracks his neck. "A little more power and you'll be at the same level as your sister and me." SJ glares at his father at the comparison.

"Excuse me," JARVIS says to the room, "Young Mr. Rogers, Mr. Parker is here to see you with his friends."

"Thank you JARVIS." SJ throws his gear to the side and runs out of the room. Steve leans against the ropes watching his son leave. Clint tosses the super soldier a water bottle.

"I'll be upstairs," Clint says. The archer leaves Steve alone with Loki. Steve is still wary of having Loki around but unfortunately, his daughter loved him like family. Steve climbs out of the ring and towels away the sweat on his brow.

"Captain, may I give you some advice?" Loki inquires. Steve looks up at Loki shocked. "Only if you'll hear me out, of course."

"What is this advice about?"

"Your son."

"I do not need parenting tips from you," Steve mutters.

"I'm a parent, Captain. Admittedly my children aren't accepted by Asgard as normal children, each of them with their own cursed form," Loki mutters, **_(I'll admit I got that idea from another fic, can't remember which one though), _**"but I am a father none the less. They were once children with humanoid forms, Captain. Hela is a ruler of two worlds; certainly I can't be that bad of a parent." Steve looks at the teenage god again.

"All right, what's the advice?"

"You need to not compare your children so. SJ becomes quite angry over the comparison. He feels that he will never be his sister's equal," Loki states.

"How do you know what he feels?" Steve questions as he unwraps his knuckles.

"Simple, Captain," Loki says sitting down on a bench, "Odin did very much the same thing to Thor and I. Look how I ended up." The gravity of what Loki had said hits Steve in that second. Steve sits down on the bench quickly. "Look at Cain and Abel; those two are very similar to Thor and I. Though we never actually killed each other, we tried a few times though." Steve puts a hand to his face and rests his elbow on his knee.

"Oh God, what have I done," Steve murmurs. "You're right. You're absolutely right. I am doing the same thing to my children that Odin did to you and Thor."

"Do not blame yourself Captain; it is natural to want your children to compete with each other. However in the circumstances of this type of family, it creates unforeseen problems," Loki continues. "I believe that is why Sarah looks at me like a brother. She can see past my past. She can understand why I am who I am. Sometimes I fear that she sees what SJ could become if things go horribly wrong."

"Why didn't I see it earlier?" Steve ponders.

"Because I didn't tell you," Tony says coming into the room. "Sorry to interrupt."

"What do you mean you didn't tell me!" Steve yells.

"Steve, I've been compared to my father for as long as I can remember. I've also had to grow up having my father hero worship you and neglect me because he searched the North Atlantic for you most of his life. I saw the seeds form the second you pitted those two against each other in training. I just didn't tell you because she left for a few months," Tony states. "Steve, I hate saying it, but he's right."

"I need to talk to Tasha," Steve mutters and hurries out of the room. Tony looks at Loki who walks closer to him.

"So, stepson," Tony says causing Loki to grimace, "welcome to the family. Also, good call on telling the Cap now and not after SJ goes to the dark side."

"I just don't want the same thing that happened to my family happening to Sarah."

"We're family now, Loki," Tony insists. "Some of us might not be happy but you're family. So, son."

"Please do not call me that."

"Fine. But you are my ward for your stay. Yes I know it's a cover but hey, at the moment you have the appearance of a teenager so you're going to be treated like one. Know how to drive a car?" Tony asks. Loki shakes his head. "Come on. You're going to learn. Bruce is going to let you use his SUV to drive you and Sarah to school every day. We figure that's a little better than that new car of hers." Loki rolls his eyes and follows Tony down to the parking garage.

* * *

"Tasha," Steve says walking into the living room. Natasha looks up from where she's been talking with Pepper about wedding plans. "I need to talk to you."

"I'll be right back Pep." Natasha walks with Steve to the kitchen. "What is it Steve?"

"I did something stupid."

"What?"

"Tasha, I've been comparing the kids," Steve says in almost a whine. "I'm doing the same thing Odin did to Thor and Loki. I didn't realize it until Loki and Tony pointed it out. By constantly comparing SJ to Sarah, I've been making him feel inferior to her. What am I going to do to fix this?"

"I don't know honey. But I'm sure you'll figure out something." Natasha rubs his back as he sets his forehead on the counter. She hadn't realized how much damage they could be doing to him either. It's just as much her fault as it is Steve's fault.

* * *

"I wish they'd stop comparing me to Sarah," SJ mutters to the super crew as they sit in one of the lounges. They had come to together to talk about Loki but ended up skipping that conversation. "It just makes me so angry."

"A little competition is good. But SJ, you have to remember, your parents got two teenagers on their hands and they have no parenting experience," Ava says. "You need to cut them some slack."

"However too much competition will lead to one half falling into the abyss of pure evil," Danny observes. Everyone shoots him a look. "Sorry."

"Your father is sorry," Tony says from the doorway. Tony and Loki are there with coats on and a set of car keys in hand. "Me and Loki talked to him. Anyway, I'm going to teach the resident God of Mischief to drive."

"We won't go out of the Tower then," Sam laughs.

"Good choice," Loki says dryly. "I do not see why Sarah can't drive us."

"Easy, maybe one day you have to drive yourself," Tony answers.

"I'll teleport."

"Loki, you'll lose the argument with him," Peter states as he sits on the ceiling.

"Ah, Spidey, I am glad to see you are recovered. Sarah was quite distressed about your injury. She even contacted me about it she was so worried. That and she was quite upset," Loki chuckles.

"She contacted you?" Peter scoffs.

"Were you not informed? Sarah and I are quite close. We have a sibling relationship. She comes to me for many things," Loki states.

"Why do I feel like the city is about to be destroyed," Luke mutters. Everyone laughs even though he wasn't joking.

* * *

Aaron helps Sarah off her snowmobile after eight hours of straight racing against Jack. She's stiff and tired. They drive back to the motel and change into their casual gear before going to a bar to eat. The bar is where the target is located. Even though Sarah is in casual clothes, her beauty automatically catches the target's eye. The long red hair, light blue eyes, and the tight fit clothing had the target locked on her the second she stepped into the bar.

"Well, my dear, what is a lovely thing like you doing in a bar?" the target asks her. The target is a man in his later twenties with short black hair. His eyes are a deep hazel filled with, among other things, lust.

"Enjoying time with company while waiting for the races tomorrow," Sarah answers with a chuckle. She's at the pool table alone about to rack up the balls. Once everything is in place, she takes a cue stick off the wall and leans on it lazily.

"May I play?" he asks motioning toward the table.

"Why of course, a little friendly competition is always welcome." He smiles and takes a cue stick off the wall. "You can break." He does and Sarah lands the next ball into the corner pocket. He smirks and comes around her to the cue ball when it's his turn. He misses but he doesn't mind. He notes the snowmobile logo on the back of her leather jacket.

"So, you race snowmobiles?" he asks timidly. He was almost certain this was his target but she could just be a family member to his target. He resists the urge to reach out and put his hand on her back.

"Yep. This'll be my first race but people say I'm pretty good," Sarah chuckles. She sinks one stripe but misses her next shot.

"Well, I'm a manager for the big league races," he says handing her his card before he makes his shot. "And I'm looking for new hires."

"Hm, I already got a manager."

"But someone with your looks and beauty shouldn't be playing the small leagues," he says. "Don't you want to be rich? I could make you richer than Tony Stark."

"I doubt that and I don't particularly care to be rich." Sarah inwardly smirks at the thought of having more money than Tony. As much fun as that would be, she doesn't care for money in the first place.

"You're the first person to answer with that." He misses his shot.

"Money is nothing. It's all about the race for me." The man smirks as Sarah sinks another pool ball.

"Name's Martin O'Shea," the man says holding his hand out to Sarah.

"Natalia, Natalia Norling," Sarah answers shaking his hand.

"I can get you all the races you want."

"You're just looking for a free night," Sarah laughs.

"Me, you, after the races I'll take you to go see the warehouse I operate not far from here."

"I don't know," Sarah says nervously. Martin pouts. "I suppose but I have to be back by ten."

"You won't be disappointed." By the end of the game, Martin has his hand on Sarah's back and his lips straying dangerously close to her neck. Sarah is growing increasingly uncomfortable around the sleazebag. She hears Aaron's footsteps before his voice.

"Natalia," Aaron says coming up, "Mom says it's time to go."

"See you at the races," Sarah says to Martin. She walks off with Aaron and gladly jumps into the SUV with the others.

"So?" Jack hints looking at Sarah through the rearview.

"Hook, line, and sinker," Sarah answers.

Sandra chuckles, "Just like your mother." The ride to the hotel is quiet. Aaron and Sarah share the electric blanket again.

* * *

On the helicarrier hours later, Scott Lang walks up to the conference room. He's wearing Hank Pym's old Ant-Man suit, though it is now his. With Cassie safe, Scott volunteered to work for SHIELD. The doors to the conference room open and reveal a group of people waiting there. He smiles at those he knows and sits down on at the table between the Pyms and James Rhodes. Fury and Coulson turn to look at the group.

"Welcome to SHIELD, and more importantly, welcome to the Avengers Initiative. You are the second group but you will gradually start to integrate with the rest of the Avengers, especially with Avengers Mansion opening up in a few months," Fury announces. "The current Avengers have already been briefed."

"Quite the lineup, Fury," Wolverine comments as he holds a cigar in his teeth.

"There are more." Scott looks around the room in shock. Carol Danvers a.k.a. Ms. Marvel is sitting across the room from him. Henry and Janet Pym, both in costume, are sitting next to him. Rhodey has the War Machine bracelets on his wrists. James Barnes is in more patriotic clothes than usual. Coulson or Fury probably put him up to it. Jennifer Walters brushes her nails on her jeans. Bobbi Morse holds her stomach gingerly.

"Who else?" Logan muses.

"A few that haven't gotten to the age that we can officially accept them," Fury answers dryly.

"So Laura, Sarah, probably Junior, and the super crew," Logan guesses.

"Pretty much," James chuckles.

"Your first mission," Fury says throwing a stack of folders on the table, "pick a kid. You get to train with one." The files are laid out by code names and pictures. Lady Star (Sarah), Bowman (Aaron), Spidey, Iron Fist, Power Man, Nova, Tiger, Talon (Laura), and Private America (SJ) were all laying in front of them. "Bobbi will have to leave so choose wisely," Fury warns. "James, Logan, you can't pick Sarah and Laura."

"No, I call the Captain's daughter," Carol states snatching the folder. "I'd like a challenge."

"Well, if you got her, I'm taking the boy," Logan states. "He needs more training."

"Power Man," Rhodey states grabbing the file.

"I'll take Talon," Jennifer says taking the folder in hand.

"I'll take Bowman, I can send him to Clint when I have to leave," Bobbi says. Jen hands her the folder. Bobbi is already Bowman's handler for ninety percent of his missions, training him and shipping him off to Clint would be easy. Spidey goes to James, Henry gets Iron Fist, Janet gets Tiger, leaving Scott with Nova.

"You will meet your partners at the New Years Eve party we're hosting at Stark Tower," Fury informs them. "We'd have it sooner but Miss Rogers is on assignment."

"Assignment!" Bobbi shouts. Bobbi knows there are very few mission that would require her age and skill set. "What did you do Nick?"

"She's taking down a human trafficking ring with Bowman." The room is deadly silent. Bobbi's head is spinning, she knows the file since Aaron had given he a copy. "Morse?"

"Don't tell me she's red," Bobbi breathes. Nick nods. Bobbi's eyes widen and she looks at James. She had shown the file to him as well.

"I got the jet," James says running for the hanger. It's ten in morning on Saturday and they're south of NYC.

"What's going on?" Phil demands.

"The red heads are going to the RED ROOM!" Bobbi shouts. "Jen, Carol, I'll need you to take my place. Anyone else is welcome." The room quickly clears out.

"How many hours?" Fury asks Phil.

"She races in an hour. She's supposed to meet the target right after. They've been on radio silence since an hour ago." Fury takes out his cell phone and looks at the number. Phil doesn't even glance at the screen. "You do that and they will kill you." Fury puts the phone away and starts praying that nothing bad happens. If anything did happy, he's a dead man.

* * *

"Martin, I don't see why my mother couldn't come," Sarah complains as Martin leads her toward the warehouse. The tracker in Sarah's gauntlet is on and her team is following her closely.

"Simple, my dear," Martin chuckles, "I wanted some private time with you." He kisses her neck much to Sarah's vexation. Martin opens the door of the warehouse and pushes Sarah gently through the doorway. She stares at all the toys in the room. She flinches when the needle makes contact with her skin. The medicine is low dosage so it merely disorientates her for a few moments. Sarah shakes her head and walks a few paces away from Martin.

"Sorry love, but I had to," Martin chuckles. "I need you submissive. Don't worry, you won't end up like them." The wall in front of them falls through the floor to reveal the holding chambers of the other red heads. "I don't think I'll let the buyer have you. You'll me mine." Sarah looks at all the girls as her head clears up and she regains her standing again. She sticks her hand inside of her jacket to where her "cell phone" was. Well, that's what Martin thinks is in there.

"How about," Sarah chuckles drawing the pistol from her jacket and pointing it at Martin's forehead, "you go to hell."

"How did you recover from the medicine?" Martin questions.

"She's not normal," a voice says. Sarah glances toward the chambers to see a man coming toward her. He's older, KGB old. "My serum would do nothing to her. She's already enhanced. May I ask what serum?"

"To be honest, I don't know. I wasn't told about that when they created me. However, by your look and slight accent, you are Russian, formerly the USSR, correct? KGB?" Sarah guesses keeping her gun level at Martin.

"Yes. So you know about me?"

"Kind of hard not to when my stepmother was created at the Red Room," Sarah answers. "She told me all about you. We had a lot in common."

"There are few of those agents remaining, actually I believe there's only one now. Natasha?" the doctor guesses. Sarah smirks. "I should have known as much. The red hair, it's her shade exactly."

"When I took this job I noticed the pattern. You're trying to recreate her because she's such a success," Sarah chuckles. "If only she knew, she wouldn't be as merciful as I." Sarah moves her arm silently and shoots the locks on the chambers off. She pulls another magazine from her coat and reloads the gun. She smiles at the two men.

"GUARDS!" Martin shouts. Sarah's shield appears when the bullets start flying. From the catwalk above the main area, guards appear and start shooting. Sarah fires back trying to get a spot where some of them won't be able to fire at her. The girls in the chambers scream and run toward a single chamber. Sarah sees the one that she had seen a picture of in Aaron's wallet, that kid is about to be shot by five guards. Sarah sprints across the room and covers the teen with her own body shielding the girl with the shield and her body. She stumbles toward the chamber she wants and shoves the girl inside. Without a bulletproof vest, those rounds tore through her. There were more than five though. The chambers have a bit of cover, bulletproof glass covers, so one of the girls pulls her inside.

"Damn," one says as the one Sarah had risked her neck for kneels on the ground as the girl that pulled Sarah in lays her down on the ground. They remove her jacket and look at all the bullet holes.

"She needs a doctor badly," the girl says. Sarah examines their surroundings. The guards are talking about a plan of attack. That's when Sarah spots the tank in the display area. It had multiple holes in it and the gas inside of the tank had drained onto the floor and was mixing with oil from a punctured tank. She spots Martin lying bleeding out on the ground. Round must have ricocheted and hit him. The doctor is unconscious from running toward shelter and smashing his head. Sarah groans and sits up.

"I got an idea," Sarah tells the girls.

"You need to stay still," the girl that pulled her in insists. Sarah shakes her head and pulls a lighter from her boot. One gift from Tony she was glad she kept. She can hear the soft hum of an approaching quinjet and the roar of the SUV coming closer. Sarah turns on a shield and stands up with effort. Blood drops onto the ground and splashes.

"When I light the fire, you run for that door," Sarah says pointing to the front door. "Get away from the building." She rummages in her discarded jacket and pulls out a small compact charge. There was one intact tank that was about to go boom. She moves toward the door and rips her shirt. Lighting the section, she throws it onto the pool and it ignites instantly. The girls run as the guards shoot blindly before deciding to run. Sarah hurries to the unexploded tank and places the charge. She grabs the unconscious scientist and hauls him toward the door. An oilcan explodes next to her and covers herself and the scientist in oil, which lights on fire from their proximity to the fire. Sarah continues walking ignoring the burning. She grabs a fallen girl screaming in pain from a bullet wound to the leg and continues to the door.

They make it outside as the charge hits ten seconds to detonation. A strong pair of arms rips the scientist off her back, another grabs the girl, and another grabs her. She feels like she's being carried by the Hulk as she flies through the air and lands. The person holding her lays her down in the snow to extinguish the fire. Sarah looks up to see a female Hulk looking down at her.

"Sarah!" Aaron yells and runs toward her. Aaron's shout hurts her head. Well, actually, the pounding in her head is hurting her. She rubs her head with a little snow to ice it down.

"Shush," Sarah groans as she sits up in the snow. She tosses the burnt shirt to the side revealing the healing flesh. She feels a blanket wrap around her and looks up at Logan as he curls it around her more. She pulls it in closer, just a bra in the snow as not a good idea.

"Damn it kid, we turn our eyes away for a little and look what you do!" Logan snaps.

"Shut up, I'm going to get it enough when I get home!" Sarah snaps looking up at the older man.

"Get her in the jet and we'll take care of her," Carol says walking by holding the other girl. A fleet of SHIELD vehicles is already coming to deal with the situation. Jennifer helps Sarah up and into the jet. The blond sits down on a cot and removes the blanket from her shoulders. Bobbi scowls her before getting out the first aid kit. Outside, Aaron hugs the friend he had lost and gives her his goodbye.

"Not so tight damn it!" Sarah snarls. Bobbi does the bandage extra tight. "I'm sorry Bobbi."

"Do not scare me like this! We are family, got that!" Bobbi snaps.

"I know. I never did get the chance, welcome to the family Bobbi. And congratulations on the baby," Sarah says. Bobbi's bandaging lightens some. "Dad told me before I left." Bobbi looks up at her with concern written all over her face.

"I'll be around the Tower a lot more now," Bobbi tells her. "I'm sure Clint will want to be involved with the kid as much as possible." Sarah smiles and nods knowing that Clint would be. "Please, just don't get this hurt again, okay?"

"I'll try, Bobbi. Who are all your friends?"

"A new group of Avengers," Logan says walking up and handing Sarah a button up shirt to go over her bandaged torso. With the number of shots and burns, Bobbi just wrapped her whole torso. "We're like team two. Back up if someone's sick." Sarah nods understanding. She slips the shirt on and puts her head on the hull of the plane to rest.

"So, how badly are they going to kick your ass?" James asks walking up. Sarah looks at him before closing her eyes and rolling her head back on the metal.

"You don't want to know honestly," Sarah answers. Once the jet is packed and the army of replacements arrives, the jet gets ready to leave. Jack had gone back to the hotel and picked up Sarah and Aaron's bags. Aaron would return with her to the Tower and bunk there for a few days. Aaron sits on the cot with Sarah's back on his chest. Aaron is propped up against a few duffle bags of supplies. Bobbi gives them a blanket and Sarah wraps it around them. The two teenagers sleep lightly for the whole trip. They arrive back at the helicarrier after a few hours and fill out reports. Sarah's checked over again. The healing is going slowly but with that many wounds it's to be expected.

"You'll get back to the Tower sometime after ten," Fury says as the two teens prepare to climb into an SUV with Phil and Bobbi. "Phil's going to hit Taco Bell on the way. Enjoy."

"See you Fury," Sarah mutters climbing into the car with a wince. She glances at the inflamed skin on her face via the rearview mirror. No hiding that. Aaron climbs in on the other side and sits there quietly. They eat quietly as they ride. The lull of music fills the air. Bobbi takes off to her and Clint's room once they're in the Tower. Phil goes with Aaron up to find Tony to get him a room. Sarah grabs her bag and walks toward the elevator. She winces as she leans against the elevator. She just wants sleep right now.

The elevator door opens and Sarah goes to her room. The Tower is extremely warm so when she gets to her room she tosses the button up shirt to the side and walks around in the clean white bandages covering her from her shoulders to her hips. She changes into short bottoms and heads for the kitchen. A juice and a small snack sound good right now. The elevator pings on the level so the blond gets off the elevator. She had taken the enchantment off at the helicarrier so her hair was normal again, though as she passes a mirror, she misses the red hair for a second. It was like a way to identify with Natasha. She walks into the kitchen and pulls out a juice bottle followed by an apple. She silently eats the apple and drinks the juice. She walks over to the garbage to throw the apple core and bottle out.

"Oh my god, what happened to you?!" Natasha demands. Sarah flinches. She hadn't figured Natasha would be awake. She turns around to face her mother's fury. Natasha's eyes are out of her head and as wide as they could possibly be. There's a look of pure horror on her face.

"I didn't know you were up," Sarah says dumbly. "This is just a little damage." Yeah, downplaying never works out in this family.

"YOU ARE WRAPPED FROM SHOULDER TO WAIST IN BANDAGES! WHAT IN THE HELL DID YOU DO!" Natasha screams. That woke up everybody in the house, even those on other levels. Soon the kitchen is flooded by people blocking Sarah from her escape. Sarah tries to get out but it doesn't work out at all, Clint is blocking her way. Aaron sees her as he walks up with Tony and Phil. He goes into panic mode.

"Leave her alone!" Aaron shouts and pushes his way through. He takes off his jacket and drapes it over Sarah's shoulders. "You should be sleeping."

"I was hungry." She looks up at Aaron with innocence.

"Sarah what happened?" Steve questions as he rubs his head with his fingers in attempt to calm down.

"I was shot at and burned because an oil can exploded when I was running out of the building. Sort of happens when you piss of human traffickers. Of course, then, being the human being that I am, I couldn't let the one dork burn to death so I carried him out and the injured prisoner. Plus I got the others out before setting off a charge to give us time to round up any stray guards. And guess what? It was the Red Room jackass buying the girls so I had more than enough reason to shoot the ass for what he did to Mom. So, if you'll excuse me, I need sleep," she says punctuating the last sentence with a jab at Clint's chest who was blocking the door. Natasha is silent as she soaks in that statement.

"Clint, I'd move," Aaron says.

"Who are you to tell me what to do?" Clint demands. "You're that recruit from the other day!"

"He's your nephew Clint," Bobbi says. "Sarah go. Make sure you sleep sitting up tonight."

"Bobbi."

"I'm serious young lady."

"I'll make sure she does as she's told, Missus Barton," Loki says placing a hand on Sarah's shoulder. "Come on, young one." Sarah walks away with Loki. The god pulls extra blankets out of the linen closet and piles them on Sarah's bed. He watches her settle into the bed and pulls the blanket up around her bandaged form. He sits down on the edge of the bed and takes her hand in his.

"I'm sorry I broke my promise," she says.

"I knew you would." He strokes her hand with his thumb. "Your family is getting used to me."

"Our family," Sarah counters. "You are both a brother and an uncle. You are family." Loki nods softly. "Will you stay with me tonight?"

"I can't," Loki answers. "I promised Thor I would go stargazing with him. I'm sure SJ would stay with you." Sarah shakes her head. The last thing she needs is her little brother not letting her out of his sight for the rest of their lives. She pushes her hair back from her face and leans her head back on the headboard.

"Goodnight Loki." Loki kisses her forehead before leaving the room.

* * *

"Aaron, I think we should talk to Clint," Bobbi says looking at her nephew. The teen nods softly looking a Clint.

"Bobbi, I need to have a conversation with the boy as well," Natasha says with murder in her voice. Aaron, understandably, dives behind his aunt and uncle for protection as Natasha levels the _you-are-my-prey_ look at Aaron.

"Aaron and I will talk with you after we talk with Clint, promise." Natasha nods and looks over at Steve and Phil. Phil looks at Natasha with guilt across his face. Bobbi leads the two Barton men out of the room and into the living room. Clint sits on the couch, Aaron sits across from him on the other couch, Bobbi sits on the coffee table between the pair.

"You are my nephew?" Clint questions.

"Yep, Barney had me."

"When?" Clint asks softly.

"Do you recall going to Michigan for a circus gig? Yeah, Barney hooked up with my mother and had me. They kept in touch when she found out. He even raised me before he went off the grid a few years ago," Aaron explains.

"I killed Barney over five years ago," Clint protests.

"You thought you killed him. He survived and is currently training to kill you. Personally, I'm on your side. Barney went off the deep end a while ago," Aaron says lightly. "My mom died last year and I've been working with SHIELD to take down the bastards that did it. Sarah was the key to finding the bastards."

"It would seem like you've met Sarah before now," Clint says cautiously. The way Aaron had jumped to protect Sarah from the other Avengers' glares meant there was more than meets the eye with the pair. Clint prides himself in knowing his family and friends, and the look Sarah gave Aaron said that someone should read between the lines before a surprise pops out at them.

"Yeah, my first few months of training were at the same base as Sarah. We didn't know who each other were at the time. We were friends," Aaron tells Clint. Clint silently thinks for a few moments as he stares at the floor. "Clint, you're scaring me."

"Were you telling the truth about you being 17?"

"Yep."

"Who's got legal custody of you?" Clint continues.

"SHIELD." Clint motions for Bobbi to hand him a phone. "Clint I'm doing fine on my own."

"You're family, you're staying with family," Clint says firmly looking at his nephew. "Go talk with Natasha before she plans on killing you." Bobbi motions for Aaron to walk with her.

* * *

"Phil, what do you know?" Natasha demands.

"All I know was that the Red Room was involved and I only learned about that after Nick sent Sarah on the mission," Phil insists. Aaron and Bobbi walk back into the room and Natasha turns to look at them. Phil takes the chance to run away before Natasha sets off a bomb in the room.

"Red Room?" Natasha asks them hesitantly.

"If I had known they were sending Sarah, I wouldn't have let them Natasha. Aaron has been working for a year to get a chance to shut down a human trafficking ring. They take athletic pretty girls for the most part. This year consisted of red heads like you. Last year it was blonds. Aaron knew the girls from last year and this year. The ring has been destroyed thanks to their effort," Bobbi informs Natasha. Aaron shifts nervously behind his aunt. The legend of the Black Widow is used at the SHIELD basic training camp to scare the new recruits. He knew of five recruits that quit after hearing about the Black Widow.

"Aaron, you're Clint's nephew?" Natasha questions.

"Barney had me when he was a teenager."

"How'd you caught up in SHIELD?" Natasha continues.

"My mom tried to save one of the girls last year. She was killed. The SHIELD agent talked to me. When he died, I brought in the information for him," Aaron tells her. "I was hired because I knew the case inside and out."

"Where did the girls go last year?" Steve asks hesitantly.

"Corporation War or something to that effect. They stopped sending for blonds at the beginning of the July." Steve catches Natasha before she can fall. "Did I say something wrong?"

"Those bastards had Sarah," Natasha snarls. "They must have been working on making a double of Sarah that didn't involve having to grow one into maturity." Aaron looks at Bobbi hesitantly.

"That's what they were doing with the ones from this year, they were trying to recreate you," Bobbi informs Natasha. Natasha growls in anger.

"Do you have any in custody?"

"Two are on board the helicarrier," Bobbi informs her. Natasha storms out of the room with the phone at her ear. Steve sighs and looks to Bobbi. "She's going to the helicarrier isn't she?"

"Yeah."

"You going with her?"

"Have to make sure she doesn't kill anybody," Steve mutters leaving the room.

"Family that kills together stays together," Bobbi calls down the hall.

"Not helping Bobbi," Steve shouts back. Natasha and Steve are on a transport twenty minutes later.

* * *

Sarah tries to sleep, she really does, but it doesn't work. After laying there for an hour, she gets out of bed and walks to the stairwell. Going down to the training level, she goes into the gym and does punches a punches bag. She probably shouldn't be doing it but she needs to exert some anger onto something. Still not wearing a shirt, the red blotches appear after a time on the bandages.

"That's not healthy," Bruce says walking into the room. Sarah looks up to see Bruce standing there with a glass of water in hand and Tony behind him with a drink of some sort, maybe a milkshake thing.

"Yeah, well, I can't sleep and I have some anger I need to beat out of me." Sarah continues to punch it until one punch sends the bag flying across the room and slamming into the opposite wall. A robot rushes out to clean it up. Tony tosses her a water bottle from the mini fridge.

"Come on, we'll change the bandages," Bruce says.

"I'm fine Bruce," Sarah insists.

"Either I do it or we wake your parents," Bruce states. Sarah sighs and follows Bruce toward the medical lab a floor down from Bruce's lab.

"Did my shield malfunction?" Tony asks as Bruce unwinds the bandages.

"Unless the shield comes with a bubble mode, no," Sarah answers. She winces slightly as Bruce's fingertips brush the burns. "I had a gun pointed at me from pretty much every angle." Bruce changes the gauze on the holes and wraps her back up. She silently thanks Bobbi for letting her keep her bra on. Sarah lies down on the medical table while Bruce checks her leg burns. There were only a few and they were on the right side of her legs, where the flames from the puddle had been.

"What's troubling you?" Tony asks.

"It's nothing Tony," Sarah insists. "So, can I help you two with a project while I'm up?" Bruce and Tony shrug at each other and Sarah follows the pair up to Tony and Bruce's joint lab. The pair pulls a blanket off a table to reveal the exoskeleton of a machine.

"What is it?" Sarah asks.

"A few years ago I worked with Hank Pym on a project we called Ultron. Well, there were flaws in that design, we determined it would probably go crazier than Loki during the Invasion of New York City. I've been working on this project since the Stark Expo issue. Never put much thought into it for a while. But we call it VISION, he's an android," Tony explains.

"Cool. New Avenger then?" Sarah guesses.

"Among other things," Bruce replies. "You want to see what he'll look like when he's done?"

"Sure." Bruce pulls up a screen on his computer. It reveals the look of the finished android. The red face catches Sarah's eyes followed by the gold eyes. There's a gold diamond set where the mystical Third Eye would be on his forehead. The costume colors of green and gold fit quite nicely. The gold diamond where a heart would be looks almost like a brooch holding the cape in place.

"I like," Sarah approves. "How can I help?"

"Well, we're working on clocking tech so he looks human when he's not needed for battle," Tony explains. "Maybe you can design his human body? We have the software." Sarah nods and Tony sets her up on another computer. She looks over the models and the command codes to create the human body of VISION.

"This should be fun." The best type of disguise is one that no one would take for a disguise, someone who would look normal. So, she made him average. His skin had a tone between Tony and Bruce's skin tones. His eyes were a deep green with blue streaks. His face was perfectly symmetrical. His hair was short and black. For his clothes, Sarah fitted him with black pants, a white shirt, black tie, and a black coat. He looks like a typical businessman in NYC. She smirks at her creation. She sends the file over to Bruce as he and Tony work. The pair looks at the design.

"He's…plain," Tony states.

"Hiding in plain sight. No one would question him," Sarah answers.

"Very nice," Bruce approves. "You should try sleeping."

"Or not," Sarah shoots back. She plays with the computer for a while. She finds an old design program of Tony's and makes a folder filled with a collection of mini robot ideas. At about midnight, the blond slumps in the chair and falls asleep wordlessly.

* * *

"WHO ELSE IS WORKING AT THE RED ROOM?! WHERE ARE THEY!" Natasha screams at the leader of the guards for the ring.

"I don't know! The doctor is the only one that knows I swear!" the guard whimpers. Natasha growls at the guard before walking out of the room to the other interrogation room. She opens the door and the doctor looks up at her calmly. The man smiles at her.

"Well, if it isn't Natasha. I had the pleasure of meeting your daughter. She saved my life," the doctor chuckles.

"I don't see why. You're not worth anything," Natasha snarls.

"I suppose that's where you and your little girl are different, isn't it? So, are you here to interrogate me?" the doctor asks. He watches as the door opens again and Steve walks into the room. The super soldier reaches up and pulls the wires on the cameras.

"We're good Tasha."

"Ah, and the super soldier. This is a pleasure," the doctor laughs.

"What did Fury say I could do?" Tasha asks.

"Everything short of killing him sweetheart."

"You must be the girl's father. Yes I can see the resemblance," the man laughs.

"Who else is still at the Red Room?" Natasha demands.

"All new kids. Dumber than the average science teacher really. If you're worried about Ivan, no he left the program the day after you did. Last I heard he was sipping vodka on a tropic island," he laughs.

"Where are they?" Natasha continues.

"Same place as last time."

"That cover our questions?" Natasha asks Steve.

"Good enough for me," Steve answers. Natasha smiles and picks the doctor up by his shirt collar.

"Are you going to hurt me Natasha?" he inquires. Natasha's smile turns into a evil sneer as she stabs the doctor with a needle. She pushes the medication in and throws him to the floor. "What did you give me?"

"One of the worst hallucination and pain inducing on the planet," Natasha answers. "It lasts for twenty-four hours. Have fun." The spy and the soldier leave the room; the doctor's pained cries blocked out thanks to the soundproofing in the walls.

"I haven't seen you act like that for a long time Natasha," Steve comments as they board the plane back to the Tower.

"Are you worried for my sanity, Steve?" she inquires.

"Babe, I know how sane you are. I was actually going to say," Steve chuckles before kissing her passionately. "I love when you get all protective over our kids." Natasha smiles seductively and proceeds to hide with Steve in the cargo hold away from the pilot until they reach the Tower.

* * *

After a long silence from the computer lab Sarah had been sitting at, Tony and Bruce look over and see the passed out blond. They come over and Tony starts to shut down the computer.

"Hey, Bruce, how often is she in a lab?" Tony asks.

"A couple of times a week. She pops in for lessons every so often. Why?" Bruce asks. He has JARVIS send down Thor to come get the blond as he's talking.

"She made these," Tony answers showing Bruce the bots. "I mean, they're simple but good ideas."

"Talk to her about it," Bruce says as Thor walks in with Loki following a few paces behind him. The Asgardian takes his niece upstairs to her room and puts her down on the pillows waiting for her. This time, Loki stays with her. Loki lies on his side with one arm around Sarah waist. He watches the blond's forehead crease as the bad dreams start up. Loki sets his glowing hand on her head and the blond instantly relaxes.

"I was nervous coming here," Loki whispers to the sleeping teen, "but I'm not any more. I can do something useful here, even if it's keeping the bad dreams away. You are my family now." Loki sleeps lightly always on guard for more bad dreams.

* * *

**So, I hope you liked the chapter. And I have the wedding stuff finished up officially. **

**So for those of you that hated that time travel idea guess what? Next chapter is the introduction to the time travel. At the end of the next chapter, it's set up to go back in the past. After that there are two full chapters of just time travel with the third one behind half time travel and half regular time. So yeah, just forewarning. **

**So, please review and tell me what you think about it. If you have ideas for things or just ideas for the story in general feel free to share them. **


	16. Happy New Year's Eve, Or Not

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE AVENGERS OR SPIDER-MAN AND HIS FRIENDS, X-MEN, FANTASTIC FOUR, OR MARVEL! **

* * *

New Years Eve is extremely quiet at Stark Tower, but that's sort of a no brainer considering the fact that the Avengers aren't home. In the air, one quinjet and the Stark Private plane flies through the air toward an unknown destination. The quinjet carries the super crew, SJ, Loki, Sarah, Aaron, and Mary Jane. The pilot and co-pilot ignore the teens the best they can, but that's pretty hard. A third airplane, the X-Men black bird, levels off to form a V shape with the other two planes.

"Sarah, do you have any clue where we're headed?" Luke asks. Luke is standing with one hand on a strap on the ceiling and the other on the metal support for the hull of the plane.

"Some resort of some sort. Fury is having this big party. It was supposed to be at the Tower but Tony wanted it to be special so he rented out a resort for the rest of Winter Break," Sarah answers. She shrugs slowly but avoids moving Loki's head too much. The god had practically fallen asleep the second he sat down in the jet this morning.

"We got another plane," SJ observes and points to a SHIELD quinjet that pulls up behind them. The group peers out at the jet that pulls up.

"And one over there too," Ava says motioning to the one that comes in behind the Blackbird.

"This is just getting weird," Sam says. Everyone on the plane shoots him a look; even the co-pilot gave him a look of _really_**because**_this_**is**_peaceful_**and**_blissful_**shut**_the_**fuck**_up_**annoying**_brat_!

"Aaron, do you know anything?" Sarah asks. Her eyes lock with his and they have a silent conversation about something that isn't even about the subject.

"Nope. I may be an agent but Fury tells me about the same as he tells you guys," Aaron admits. "I wonder if Clint has killed Fury yet." After the fact that Aaron was Clint's nephew had been brought to light, Clint had sworn that he'd get even with Fury for not telling him sooner. He also said he would track down his good for nothing brother and do some unspeakable things to him, but we won't go into that.

"Knowing Clint, he's pulled some prank," SJ chuckles.

"He has," Loki says simply as the god rests with his head on Sarah's shoulder in an attempt to sleep. "I helped him this morning." The god opens an eye for a moment; exhaustion is clear on the teen like face. Clint must have woken him up early for the prank.

"What did you do?" Peter asks.

"You'll see when we get there," Loki chuckles. "It appears that Clint and I are not as wary of each other now." The menacing smile on Loki's face tells them just how bad the "prank" had to be.

"If you'll take your seats, we're coming closer to the airfield," the pilot reports. The kids sit down and get ready for the landing.

* * *

"I can't thank you enough for letting us come, Mr. Stark," Aunt May says as she sits on Tony's private jet with the rest of the Avengers and Pepper. "Peter was so happy."

"My pleasure, ma'am. And please, call me Tony," Tony chuckles. He sips on a smoothie. He had been surprisingly truthful about not drinking anymore. He had sipped a few light wines at formal events but the rest of the drinks he had didn't have any alcohol in them. Needless to say, whenever Tony was away on a solo job somewhere, the other Avengers broke out the booze. Pepper comes back from the bathroom where a light amount of morning sickness had kicked in. "Are you all right Pep?"

Pepper nods her head reassuringly as she sits down next to Tony. She rests her head on Tony's shoulder tiredly."I'm fine. Natasha on the other hand," Pepper mutters shaking her head. "She never gets sick, and now she does."

"We'll be landing in a few minutes, folks," the flight attendant says walking into the sitting area. Steve goes into the bathroom to tell Natasha who has finished puking. The soldier wraps an arm around his fiancée and helps her back to their seats. The red head curls into Steve's side and he wraps a reassuring arm around her and holds her close.

"Missus Parker, would you and Peter like to come to our wedding in a few weeks?" Steve inquires as they settle in for the landing.

"A wedding?" May questions. _I thought they were already married,_ May muses in her mind.

"Yes. We were going to wait until spring to marry but Natasha is having a child and we wanted to have the wedding before the child comes," Steve explains. "My children are Natasha's stepchildren."

"Ah, I understand," May says. "Peter and I would love to come, Mr. Rogers." May smiles, the prospect of going to a wedding is interesting to her. The next wedding she expects to go to is Peter's wedding if the Web Head ever gets married.

"Call me Steve." The smile on Steve's face could have made a wailing infant giggle. As the plane starts to descend, Pepper asks May if she'd like to come to their wedding as well.

* * *

The Stark-Jet lands first followed closely by the other jets. There's an army of SUVs waiting to take them the five miles up mountain to the resort. They had already sent the luggage an hour earlier.

Sarah walks down the ramp of her jet and looks for Director Fury. Her eyes bulge as she spots him."OH MY GOSH!" Sarah laughs upon seeing Director Fury. Everyone looks at him and starts laughing. Fury marches over to Loki who is chuckling himself. If Fury had a gun, Loki would have been scared slightly.

"Who," is all Fury says. The look of Fury's eye causes the God of Mischief to back up a step before answering.

"He wished a little vengeance," Loki says. Fury looks at Clint who dives into the closest SUV to hide. The Director is covered in pinks and purples. All of his clothes are those two colors and his gun was replaced by a squirt gun. The others around the field quickly jump in SUVs to avoid having the Director's anger turn on them. Fury got his own SUV not before everyone heard him call Clint a dead man.

The army of SUVs travel swiftly up the hill. Upon arriving at the resort, everyone's jaws drop to the snowy ground. Skiing, snowboarding, tubing, hot tubs, saunas, an ice rink, and a heated indoor pool with a view of the mountain valley were the first things the group spots. Fury steps out of his SUV in regular clothes, though he still has a squirt gun. Fury looks at Loki who points at Bobbi and holds his hands up in surrender.

"Our room arrangements can be found inside!" Tony shouts to the group. "Dinner is at six in the main room!" The teenagers get inside first and get their room keys. Sarah and Ava sprint to their room and dig out their ice skates. Sarah had learned some while in Michigan during the lunch break from learning the snowmobile. The pair sprints to the rink and throw their shoes on. They slid into the rink and smile at each other.

"Race you a few laps?" Sarah challenges. The blond twirls around some while Ava dawns a predatory smirk.

"You're on Rogers!" The pair race around the rink until an ice root trips them up and they sprawl across the ice. The two girls turn to see Bobby, the Ice Man, standing there with Kitty Pryde. Sarah throws a shield at his face. The shield slams into his head and he falls onto the ground.

"HEY!" he shouts indignantly from the ground.

"You started it!" the girls shout in unison. Kitty skates over and helps the two to their feet before the three girls pelt Bobby with snowballs. Bobby creates an ice dome to protect himself. Loki smirks as he walks toward them in jeans and a T-shirt. He walks onto the ice and over to the girls. The god easily skates around them and comes to a halt next to Sarah. He sets his elbow on her shoulder and leans on her.

"Having fun my dears?" Loki inquires with a smirk. He extends his hand and the ice dome flips over so it's a large disc with Bobby inside. The dome starts to spin rapidly and bounce off the rink walls. Bobby yells for them to stop but they ignore him in favor for laughing at him.

"Aren't you freezing?" Kitty questions as she rubs her arms slowly to increase circulation.

"No," Loki answers. "I'm a Frost Giant." His skin turns icy blue for a moment. "This is normal for me. Thor used to be jealous of that particular ability. He always froze, I never did."

"Oh, so you're Loki. I didn't expect you to be so cool," Kitty confesses. She blushes slightly as she tells him.

"Your name?" Loki inquires offering a hand to Kitty.

"Kitty." She takes his hand and he raises his hand to his lips and kisses it softly.

"Pleasure to meet you, Kitty. Sarah, you look cold. Perhaps you should go warm up?" Loki suggests as he sees the edge of frost overtaking some of her face. Sarah nods and climbs out of the rink. Loki always looks out for her so she trusts his decision. She goes back to her room and takes out her swimsuit. She changes into it and slips a robe over before grabbing a towel and heading to the warm swimming pool. The teen slips into the water and relishes the heat. She reclines lazily on the edge of the pool.

"May Ah?" Rogue asks walking up. Sarah looks up at the X-Man and smiles happily.

"Of course." Rogue climbs in and swims around a bit. Soon more of the teenagers are in the pool. Aaron swims over to Sarah as she mediates on the edge. He kisses her neck and she giggles. Her head cranes back letting Aaron kiss more of her neck.

"Aaron," Sarah says through the giggle, "I didn't know you thought of me like that."

"Bullshit, you know I do. You're beautiful." His lips form a smile on her neck.

"Thank you Aaron. I like you too." Aaron chuckles and wraps his arms around the blond.

"Steve alert!" Bobby hisses. Aaron removes his arms from the Captain's daughter as the blond rounds the corner. He eyes the pair suspiciously before discarding his robe on a chair and diving in. He swims up to Sarah and Aaron.

"Aaron, you may be Clint's nephew, but if you hurt my daughter in anyway shape or form, I will gladly hand you over to her mother who has friends that will make sure your body is never found. Do I make myself clear?" Steve inquires.

"Yes sir!"

"Good. You can go back to hugging and kissing now," Steve says swimming away to join Natasha on the other end of the pool. The two teenagers look at each other before climbing out of the pool and wrapping in towels. They head for their rooms.

"Young love," Natasha chuckles as Steve swims to her side. He wraps an arm around her waist and kisses her neck. "And our love is old."

"Just because we're older," Steve chuckles softly. "How are you feeling love?" Steve asks as she places a hand on her womb.

"Better than earlier, that's for sure," Natasha laughs. He smiles as he floats next to her. "How about a lap and then going and watching the kids play on the slopes?"

"Sounds inviting," Steve answers. The two Avengers swim around the pool quickly.

"CANNONBALL!" a voice screams and SJ plummets into the pool with a splash. Steve covers Natasha as the water rains down on them all. Every person in the room turns to look at SJ with a glare. "Shit."

"Mr. Rogers?" Luke asks.

"Give me and Tasha a minute," Steve answers pulling himself out of the pull and then pulling his companion out of the water. They walk to the hallway and he turns around. "He's all yours." Natasha giggles as the sounds of splash can be heard as the kids gang up in a splash war with SJ. Steve wraps an arm around her and leans his head into her red hair.

"I'll get the robes," Steve says as they get to the main room.

"I'll get some hot chocolate, would you like that dear?" Natasha inquires.

"With whip cream," Steve says enticingly. Natasha smiles seductively and walks off. Steve has to catch his breath before he heads off to their room for their spare robes. He finds her standing next to the window in one of the loft private rooms. He closes the door and locks it as he comes in. She looks at him over her shoulder with a smile. The hot chocolate and the whip cream are on the table. He slowly places the robe on her and she pulls it in close to cover her body. They settle on the couch bed in the room and sip their hot chocolate occasionally adding more whip cream to it. Natasha smiles as she spoons out some whip cream. She places some on her finger and licks it off. She dips her finger in the whip cream and offers it to Steve. As he goes to take it from her finger, she puts it on his nose with a giggle.

"Now I can't get it," he complains. Natasha smiles and licks it off his nose before putting some on her own. He licks it off and smirks as he looks at the container. "I can think of a lot of fun things to do with this." Natasha just lowers her robe some and kisses him.

* * *

Sarah and Aaron arrive at her bedroom door. She turns to open the door when Aaron plants a hand on the door above Sarah's shoulder. The blond looks back at the golden brown haired teenager.

"I was hoping we could spend some time together," Aaron says softly staring down into her blue eyes with his darker blue eyes. His hand drifts up to her hair and he brushes it back. She blushes softly.

"I'll meet you back here in five minutes, okay? We can go to the den and get warm by the fire," Sarah suggests. Aaron nods and kisses her lips softly. Sarah smiles and licks her lips. "Still tastes like cherry." Aaron kisses her again with a smirk on his face. He separates from the blond and walks down the hall to change. Sarah ducks into her room and changes into her regular clothes after drying off better. She emerges from her room just as Aaron walks up. They walk off to the den and cuddle on the circular couch surrounding the fire. The pair finds blankets and curl up in them. Aaron lays down with his head on the armrest at one end. Sarah lays herself gently down on top of him and pulls their blankets closer. She rests her head on his shoulder.

"A week ago, I wouldn't have believed anyone if they said I'd be cuddling with Lady Star at a resort in the mountains," Aaron muses brushing her hair away from her face.

"I wouldn't have guessed that I'd be in the arms of the nephew of Clint Barton again. You're really nice, Aaron." He smiles softly and puts his free arm around her. "So, did you join just to take down that ring?" Sarah asks looking up at him before looking back to the fire.

"Mostly. The other part of it was, well, my mom was really the only family I had. Barney is gone leaving me alone. The police searched for the location of Clint that's how SHIELD found out about me. I met Agent Hill and I told her all about the ring. She offered me the choice and I took the job. Gave up finishing school for it, but I'm going to get my degree equivalent. I had nowhere to go and I didn't know what to do with everything gone. It seemed like a good opportunity. Besides, look at us Barton men, we all are pretty good at doing things that no one wants to do," Aaron muses. He sighs as he thinks of his father, the man that had abandoned him. Sarah wraps her arms around Aaron and hugs him. He smiles softly and hugs her in return. "What about you? Anything I should know?"

"You wouldn't like to hear about my past. It's not pleasant," Sarah murmurs softly against his chest. Flashes of her past go by her eyes and she blinks away the starting of tears.

"Tell me, please." Sarah looks up at the older teen who smiles down at her softly. "I want to know so I can protect you from it." The sincerity in his voice tells her she can open up for once. Sarah thinks about where to start.

"You've met Laura, right?"

"Yes, I told you that."

"Do you know her history?" Sarah inquires.

"I was told she was cloned from James Logan, raised to be an agent for Weapon-X, and broke out."

"I'm sort of similar to her, I guess. I was cloned for Steve. They started to train me since birth. They started to punish and torture me once I was old enough to stand the strain. They wanted to make me immune to pain. It continued until I was 15 when the Avengers were sent to destroy the compound I was at and take the scientists. They found instead the scientists dead and us prisoners. They took us away, me a little later since the building collapsed and they had to dig me, Mom, and Dad out," Sarah explains.

"For six months I lived at a SHIELD base. I healed, gained weight so I wasn't so small anymore, and was trained for both combat and school. That's when I met you the first time. A helicopter accident delayed my reunion with Dad. With the help of a team, we took down Corporate, the people that had me. I was reunited with the Avengers, found out I had a brother, and given a chance to get used to my family. I started school and things were semi normal."

"Semi normal?" Aaron scoffs.

"Let's see, first three weeks, Clint was my substitute teacher for gym class. Coulson is the principal. The super crew are all classmates of mine, hence why I go to that school. Peter learned about my family. Then we had to rescue a few choice Avengers who got their asses captured so everyone else learned who my family was. Then I took a two and a half month leave to go study in Asgard. I met and lost a very dear friend there. I only got back a few days before Christmas," Sarah finishes.

"You are one busy person," Aaron chuckles.

"Comes with the territory. Since I got back, I've been kidnapped already. Though between the Avengers, X-Men, super crew, me, and Rogue, that didn't last long," Sarah mutters.

"Kidnapped!" Aaron yelps.

"Yep. An old experiment agent from Corporate found me. He has this condition from his conditioning. His affection can only attach to one person, which happened to be me. Clint killed him," Sarah says offhandedly. "I bet your year hasn't been nearly as exciting." Aaron shakes his head. Sarah reaches for the remote on the table in front of them. She turns on the music setting and soft sounds come through the speakers.

"Should I leave it on?" Sarah asks Aaron.

"I like it." Sarah sets the remote down and settles down again. "So, Aunt May, who is she?"

"Peter's aunt. Peter's parents were killed when he was younger, his uncle when he got older. We had to tell May about Peter when he got shot on the job," Sarah explains. Aaron nods in understanding. They glance out the window at a loud sound and look to see Scott Summers skiing by quickly with his brother Alex (Havoc) on his tail. A small avalanche is chasing them. Behind the avalanche comes an angry Storm and Loki. Loki is holding Bobby and Jubilee by their collars. Sarah laughs hard and Aaron joins her.

"I think they pissed off the wrong pair," Aaron laughs.

"Yes." They stay in the nice den for another couple of hours that is until Maria Hill walks in.

"Aaron, Sarah, the Fantastic Four are here. Reed and Susan would like to officially introduce Sarah to Ben and Johnny along with Ben's girlfriend Alicia Masters," Maria says walking to the back of the couch. She peers down at them with a raised eyebrow.

"But I'm comfortable," Sarah complains.

"Sarah."

"Coming Maria." Sarah and Aaron get up and head for the door. "Wicked stepmother."

"I heard that," Maria says from ahead of them. Sarah sticks her tongue out Maria like at three year old. Aaron laughs and puts an arm around Sarah's waist. She smiles and leans into him more. The pair follows Maria to the foyer and look at the five people standing there with luggage.

"Sarah, it's good to see you again," Sue chuckles hugging the blond once Sarah had stepped away from Aaron. "You look much better than the last time we saw you, both times actually."

"It's good to see you too Sue. You weren't hurt at the party were you?" Sarah asks.

"No, luckily Johnny pushed me under a table before anything hit me."

"That's good. Dr. Richards, good to see you again as well. I trust you weren't hurt the other night." Reed smirks slightly.

"I wasn't thank you for the concern. How about yourself? We couldn't help much in the search for you, we were helping the clean up at the hall," Reed says.

"Little rough around the edges. Nothing like a good kidnapping for a homecoming present but that's the risk you run when you have superheroes as family I suppose," Sarah chuckles shaking Reed's hand. Sue motions to Ben Grimm, also known as the Thing.

"This is Ben Grimm, he's a good friend of ours," Sue says.

"Pleasure to meet you Mr. Grimm. I was hoping to meet you the other night but alas things never work out the way we plan do they?" Sarah laughs shaking his hand.

"They never do Ms. Rogers. This is my girlfriend Alicia Masters. Alicia, this is Sarah Rogers." Alicia holds out her hand and Sarah takes it in a firm handshake.

"Pleasure to meet you Alicia."

"Likewise. I must say, you have a lot of Steve's personality in you, I can tell. Strong voice, that's good. And Natasha's grace," Alicia chuckles.

"Why thank you." Sarah turns her attention to the youngest in the group. Johnny Storm smirks down at Sarah. The main difference between Johnny and Steve was their body mass and Johnny's hair was a few shades darker than Steve's.

"Johnny Storm, the Human Torch," Johnny says with a bright smile holding his hand out to the blond. Sarah takes it and shakes it firmly.

"Sarah Rogers," Sarah says with a million watt smile. "I've wanted to meet the man that looks like my father for quite some time. I couldn't believe that Clint got you confused once but now I do."

"You're Steve's girl?" Johnny scoffs.

"Technically I'm his clone. Just wait a few years, you'll get confused when my little brother looks like dad too," Sarah tells him.

"He'll be breaking hearts before he turns 15," Johnny counters.

"Don't I know it."

"Dad?" SJ asks confused.

"No," Sarah says looking at her little brother, "this is Johnny Storm, remember him from the party?"

"Oh, yeah! Sorry, just had some chlorine in my eyes. Still a little fuzzy," SJ says walking up with a robe on. Sarah grabs his head and looks at his bloodshot eyes. "Sis!" She levels a glare at him as she releases his head.

"Who did it?"

"Um…" SJ shifts nervously.

"Steven Rogers Junior," Sarah snarls. She crosses her arms and taps her foot impatiently.

"Bobby Drake did a cannonball into the pool and sort of landed on me while I was under the water."

"BOBBY DRAKE!" Sarah shouts. The Iceman skates past trying to escape outside. A shield flies at the Iceman and he falls on his face two feet from the doors.

"SORRY!" Sarah lifts her hand and the ice on him boils off to steam leaving him in his shorts. "Hot! Hot! Hot!"

"Don't do it again," Sarah warns. The Iceman dives into the nearest snow bank and steam rises around him.

"What did you do?" Aaron questions slightly confused before he sees a faint glow around her hand. "Magic, again?"

"I know magic for water. Ice is water. Think Aaron," Sarah says rolling her eyes. "Sorry about that. For those of you that haven't met him, this is my little brother SJ."

"Pleasure to meet you all," SJ says. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to change so I can go wrestle with Iron Fist." SJ takes off for his room.

"Be careful!" Sarah calls after him. She shakes her head as he disappears from sight. "I swear I don't know where he gets his personality from."

"Who is this young man?" Reed asks motioning to Aaron.

"How could I have forgotten," Sarah ponders.

"Aaron Barton," he says with a smile, "Clint's my uncle."

"You have his skills with a bow?" Johnny inquires.

"Yes sir."

"Your parents?" Sue asks.

"Mom's dead, Dad's God knows where doing God knows what. I'm an agent of SHIELD though I have a feeling Uncle Clint and Aunt Bobbi will be changing that soon," Aaron chuckles. Bobbi walks up and drags her fingers over Aaron's shoulders on her way to the kitchen.

"Your uncle is having an all out war with Fury right now. I doubt it will be settled until the start of the next school year," Bobbi tells him. "Hey Sue."

"Bobbi, you're his aunt?" Sue questions.

"Married Clint a month ago, a private ceremony with only Fury, Coulson, and Hill present. We had to reveal it though, I'm pregnant with Clint's baby," Bobbi explains.

"That's great! Baby shower, please tell me you're having one!"

"Natasha, Pepper, and I are. We all have different due dates but they're close enough we're just doing one," Bobbi continues to explain.

"All three of you?" Sue squeals.

"Yes. The men are all worried about us. You have to come to the wedding in a few weeks! Natasha and Steve are getting married on the 18th and Tony marries Pepper the week after," Bobbi continues to say. Sarah rolls her eyes and the two women walk off with Alicia in tow to talk.

"If all women become gossipers when they get over 21, I don't want to," Sarah mutters.

"So, anything interesting happen yet?" Johnny asks.

"A few people pissed off Storm and Loki, that's about it," Sarah replies dryly. A bell rings through the house and causing Maria to look at the clock.

"Dinner time," Maria informs them. Within minutes, all the guests have gathered in the large dining hall with the resort owners and employees. The divide between kid and adult is made quickly and everyone settles in for dinner. A flash of light blinds the room and everyone turns toward the window to see something crashing out in the snow a little down the mountain. Sarah is out the door first and sliding down the bank to the site.

"Sarah, don't touch it!" Steve yells following her closely. Sarah stops a few feet up from the item and stares at it for a few seconds. It's a gem with a golden color. Sarah watches it for a second before looking up at her father. She moves away when a flash occurs. Sarah is thrown back by Amora the Enchantress.

"I'm going to send you where you will never be a problem for me again," Amora snarls grabbing the gem and pressing it onto Sarah's forehead. The blond screeches as a blinding light appears. Amora laughs when the blond is gone. She goes to leave but Steve tackles her and grabs the gem from her. He throws it to Loki who keeps it hovering in mid air.

"WHERE IS SHE! Where's my daughter?" Steve demands pinning Amora to the snowy ground.

"I will never tell you, Soldier," Amora snarls. Amora smiles and disappears from his grasps. Steve touches the spot where Sarah had landed and buries his face in his hands. Natasha wraps her arms around him and holds him closely. They lost her, and only Amora knows where. Luke catches SJ as the teenager goes to fall to the ground. Clint steadies his nephew who stares at where she had just been.

"We'll get her back," Clint insists. Aaron nods and heads back into the resort. Loki transports the gem up the mountain. The adult superheroes gather in the den with the gem still in floating in the air. Loki and Thor examine it closer.

"What is it?" Steve asks to anybody.

"It's the Time Gem," Loki answers. "Father told Thor and I about the Infinity Gems. The user essentially controls time. Amora must have sent her back in time. When, well that's anybody's guess."

"We need to figure this out quickly," Reed says, "she could damage the time stream." Suddenly, a new air enters the room. Within seconds, Cap, Logan, James, Fury, Loki, Tony, and Charles are on the ground clutching their heads tightly. The others rush to their teammates' sides in an effort to aid them.

"What's wrong?" Natasha questions Steve.

"New memories," Steve answers. "I don't understand them though. None of them have Sarah in them. Wait, some of them do. I've seen these memories! They keep popping up lately."

"I understand why some of the earlier ones do not have Sarah," Charles states sitting up now. "She disguised herself." Scott comes into the room quickly.

"Uh, we got a visitor. She says that she's here to see Steve," Scott states. Steve gets up and heads to the foyer. A woman in a long black cloak stands there. Her hair is long and white, braided to her hips. She's young by the body type. The stack of cloth from her cloak keeps her face hidden. Steve walks closer and the woman shifts a little.

"Who are you?" Steve questions.

"I'm hurt, you don't recognize me," she chuckles. "After all, we're so alike." She pulls the cloak off as the rest of the adults arrive. Steve nearly falls to the ground at the youthful face in front of him. "Hi Dad."

"Sarah."

"Yep. Took me over a half-century of waiting. So, you have two choices," White Haired Sarah says. "You can keep me around to replace your baby girl, or, and this is the one I suggest, we head back in time."

"Why didn't come here sooner?" Steve demands.

"Because, I learn a lot of things back in the past. It'll be fine, I won't change anything much. I'm not that dumb," she says. "The only things that will change will be a few things back in WWII. But just small things. We were careful to keep my actions for destroying the time stream." The sly smile brings a foreboding into the air.

"Who is we?" Tony inquires.

"Agent Carter, Howard Stark, and Dr. Erskine, plus a little help from Phillips and a few others," Sarah chuckles. "We kept my identity from the world, we kept my actions in the war to a minimal, well other than on a few missions I tagged along on, gave me jobs that any could have had, mostly just sharing duties with Peggy. Surely your memories are changing some that you can see it clearly now." The group looks at each other and slowly Tony nods.

"Angela," Tony says.

"Yes Little Tony. Now, where was that paper with the date to go back to," she mutters. She reaches into her pockets and finds the slip of paper.

"That'll have to wait," Fury says hanging up his phone. "We got a problem."

"What type of problem?" Logan questions.

"Oh, just a bunch of robots laying siege to the prison holding Justin Hammer and a whole lot of other bad people," Fury states. The white haired Sarah smiles as she pulls the cloak away to reveal her battle gear altered slightly.

"One last fight for my sake?" Sarah asks Steve. "My being here is proof that I'm fine in the past."

"One fight. Let's go," Steve says.

"Hill, Coulson, stay with the kids and do not let them come," Fury orders. The pair nods and watches as everyone leaves the room.

"This is going to end badly," Maria mutters into her hand.

"I know."

* * *

Sif snarls as she catches up to Amora. She grabs the Enchantress by her neck and slams shackles on her wrists. The blond screams in pain as her magic starts to disappear.

"This time, you won't escape the prison! WHERE DID YOU SEND HER?!" Sif demands.

Amora smiles evilly, "I shall not speak, Sif."

"I will find her if I have to search the time stream myself!" Sif snarls before throwing her at Hogun to transport back to Asgard. One issue down, now to find a missing blond.

* * *

**Time travels starts next chapter! Those of you that don't wish to read it, inform me and I will give you any main points you'll need to know. But it will be referenced to throughout the story. **

**Onto the next topic, sorry for the late update, I've been busy and away from internet for the past week or so. Those of you that live in Michigan, USA, well, you probably know why. **

**Next, I had this idea pop in my head the other day, I wanna say someone mentioned it but I can't recall who. So, here's the deal, I'm planning on bringing in kids that are Corporate projects, a few of them are other clones. So I want to know who you think to bring back as clones. There is one set in stone already. But I want to know what you all think about it. And the second part of this inquiry is, what if the clones were really young still? I mean, would you like the idea of Sarah becoming the mother hen to them? (I have a few sketches of ideas for this, I just need feed back here.) **

**I'll try to update on Saturday or Sunday. I love you all! Please review. **


	17. March 14th, 1942 (Time Travel)

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE AVENGERS OR MARVEL!**

**Sarge (me): Great, I write a chapter for the forties and I get stuck in the forties with Sarah. This is just great. **

**Howard Stark: Well, well, you are not from around here. **

**Sarge: Can the charm Stark. I just want to get home to my own time thank you. **

**Sarah: I'm going to kill you Sarge.**

**Steve: Really? Really? You just had to time travel. **

**Peggy: Aw, Steve you have a beautiful daughter, and she kicks butt as well. I highly approve. **

**Steve: Ten second head start. **

**Sarge: Shit. Well ya'll, I don't own anything Marvel or Marvel related. See yah, gotta run. Maybe if I find Bucky he'll protect me. OH WINTER SOLDIER! **

* * *

In 1942, a woman lands hard in an alleyway. She cusses as she stands up. She looks around and notices she's not in the mountains anymore. She stumbles to her feet and looks around.

"Holy crap," Sarah whispers looking around. She spots a clothing store nearby and hurries over to it. Sarah creeps into the store and looks at the merchandise. She heads to the men's section quickly while keeping her head down. She steals a long jacket and a hat. She casts an enchantment on her hair to protect her identity. She stuffs her now black hair up in it and quickly walks away from the store. Glancing around, she spots a newspaper stand and picks up a newspaper to read the date. She reads the date to find she's back in March 14th, 1942. She sets the paper down and looks around.

"Why do I know that date?" Sarah murmurs. She starts walking, her plan is to find Howard Stark and see if he can get her back to the future again. Her father always said that he was a brilliant man so he'd be her best bet. She contemplates summoning Loki but it would likely end badly for her. The sound of punching catches Sarah's attention. Sarah hurries toward the sound and sees a large man beating up a much smaller man. She sprints forward and leaps at him. Landing with her legs around his neck, the momentum causes him to fall into the ground. Sarah jumps back and the man jumps up. He looks at Sarah only seeing a man there.

"This ain't your business buddy." He leaps toward her. Sarah's fist connects with his jaw. She swings her leg around and hits him on the side of his head. He staggers long enough that Sarah gets behind him and puts him in a chokehold. He flounders for her head and the hat drops to the ground. After a few more seconds, the man is unconscious and Sarah releases him. The unconscious man falls to the ground like a sack of potatoes.

"You all right?" she asks the shorter man who picks up her hat for her. He looks up at her and stares. Sarah stares back in return, her pre-serum father is standing in front of her. She shakes it off quickly. "You okay?" He stares at her sort of in shock and does a double take.

"Yeah, thanks. I just didn't think a dame could beat up a guy like that," he states motioning to the bully.

"I don't like bullies," she answers. He holds out her hat to him. "Thanks."

"Not a problem, ma'am. I'm Steve Rogers." He holds out his hand.

"Natalie Rushman," she answers. That was the first name that popped into her head. Her mom had told her all about the assignment with Tony. Tony had told her the alias Natasha had used.

Steve rubs the back of his neck, "I know this is going to sound weird but, do I know you?"

"Don't think so," Sarah answers.

"Steve! Steve what are you doing?" The pair turns to see a uniformed James Barnes walking toward them. The seventeen year old had lied on his enlistment form to get in earlier.

"Uh." James looks at the unconscious body.

"What happened to him?" Bucky questions.

"Let's see here, I knocked him over, punched him, kicked him, and then put him in a chokehold, Sergeant." Bucky raises an eyebrow to Sarah. "Do you not believe a woman can fight?"

"Well, I've never seen one take down a fully grown man," Bucky replies examining the prone form on the ground.

"She did it," Steve answers. "Natalie Rushman, this is my friend James Barnes, but I call him Bucky." Sarah offers her hand and Bucky shakes it.

"It's a pleasure, Sergeant Barnes. Have you gotten your orders?" Sarah inquires.

"Yes, I ship out in the morning for England," Bucky replies. "Come on Steve, we have a double date to keep."

"Uh, no offense Bucky but, Natalie, would you like to come with us?" Steve inquires.

"It would be my pleasure." Sarah follows Steve and Bucky to a waiting cab car. The car takes them to the World Exposition. Sarah discards the hat and puts her arm through Steve's.

"I've never had a woman pay attention to me before," Steve comments.

"Sometimes the smallest man can make the biggest difference," Sarah replies.

"Really?"

"Truly."

"Bucky, the shows about to start!" one of the bimbos hanging off Bucky says. Sarah and Steve follow the trio to the Howard Stark exhibit. Steve looks around bored as the car hovers. He spots a recruitment center. Sarah leads him off toward it.

"What are you doing?" Steve questions.

"You want to go to the recruitment center, so I'm taking you," Sarah answers.

"You think I should?"

"Of course." Sarah watches as Steve stands on the light display. The amusement is evident in her eyes. It's interesting to see her father in a different light.

"Steve, what are you doing?" Bucky questions walking up. "Are you going to try again?"

"Yes."

"And be who? Steve from Ohio? Steve, what if they catch you or worse take you?" Bucky demands.

"Men are dying over there Bucky. I have no right to be here when they are fighting. I should be there fighting too," Steve snaps.

"There are plenty of jobs here."

"What? Going around collecting scrap metal in my little red wagon?" Steve shoots back.

"Yes."

"I'm not doing that Bucky." Bucky looks around thinking it over. Sarah spots Dr. Erskine a few meters away. If she couldn't get to Stark, she'd get to Erskine.

"Just don't do anything stupid until I get back," Bucky says.

"How can I? You're taking all the stupid with you," Steve chuckles.

"Punk," Bucky mutters hugging him.

"Jerk." Steve hugs back. Bucky starts to walk off. "Don't win the war until I get there!" Bucky runs off with the ladies. Steve turns to Sarah who smiles.

"Go ahead," Sarah insists. "I'll go home. Good luck Steve." She kisses his cheek and he blushes. Sarah watches him walk away before she walks toward Stark's exhibit. She walks silently around back to where Mr. Stark is talking with a few of the call girls. Sarah walks up calmly to the man.

"Mr. Stark, may I have a word?" Sarah inquires lightly. Howard looks back at her and raises an eyebrow.

"Not interested doll face."

"I'm not here to offer my services, Mr. Stark. I am here to see if you can help me with an issue I am having. If I didn't need to be here, I would not be here, Mr. Stark," Sarah says coolly.

"You don't have permission to be here," a bodyguard says walking up. Sarah rolls her eyes at him.

"I'm trying to talk business," Sarah snaps at the man.

"Then make an appointment." Sarah eyes narrow as the man's hand lands on her shoulder.

"Big mistake." She slams her foot into his shin, knees him where the sun don't shine, and gives him a nice little uppercut to send him on his ass. "As I was saying Mr. Stark, I need your help. You may hear me out and if you say no, I will leave," Sarah says turning her attention to the scientist whose cigarette is hanging from his mouth. Sarah takes it out of the man's mouth and places it in his hand. "Mr. Stark?"

"Follow me; I know where we may talk privately." Sarah follows Stark through the crowd to the recruitment office. "Erskine, I'm borrowing your office," Howard says as they enter the medical area. Steve looks at Sarah who smiles at him. "When you're done with him, come check on me to make sure I ain't dead would you?"

"Will do, Mr. Stark." Sarah walks into Dr. Erskine's office and Howard motions for her to sit down. He walks around the Doctor's desk and finds a bottle of schnapps.

"Would you like a glass?" he asks Sarah.

"I would not mind." He hands the glass to Sarah and she smiles softly at the engineer.

"Now, what is it you wanted to talk to me about, miss?"

"Would you like my real name or the one I told Dr. Erskine's latest recruit for the Super Soldier project?" Sarah inquires sipping her drink. She catches Howard's drink before it can spill. "Very sloppy of you, Mr. Stark."

"How do you know about that project?" Howard demands. His eyes have a fury similar to Tony's when Fury has pissed him off. Sarah nearly chuckles at the thought.

"My father told me," Sarah answers dryly. "I'm not from around here, Mr. Stark."

"What are you then; a Nazis come to kill myself and Dr. Erskine?" Howard questions.

"If I wanted to do that you'd both be dead," Sarah tells him sipping her glass while putting his back down. "You do remember how I floored your bodyguard, yes? Trust me when I say this, harming yourself or Dr. Erskine is the farthest from my mind. No, what's on my mind right now is seeing if you can help me get home?"

"So you want money?" Howard asks hesitantly.

"No. I want to know what you know about time travel." Howard's eyes open. "Come now, Howard. You're creating a super soldier using blue liquid and vita-rays. Time travel can't be that farfetched to you."

"Are you saying you're from another time?" Howard questions.

"To put it simply, yes. To be exactly, I came from New Years Eve 2013. I arrived here a few hours ago after a villain decided to send me back in time. I believe she sent me here to by either institutionalized for talking about the future or killed in the war. She knows me well enough to know if I can't get home, I'd help my father survive to prevent her from sending me here in the first place," Sarah continues.

"Your father? He'd be seventy years older," Howard protests. "You can't be more than twenty three!"

"My father is your super soldier," Sarah says firmly and Howard sits back in the chair. "Erskine's formula, it makes his ability to heal increase, his metabolism, everything. His aging is minute. My family believes that perhaps my father only ages a few minutes every year. We're not sure honestly. I can prove to you that I'm not from around here if you'd like." Howard nods and Sarah reaches inside her coat for her cell phone. "This is a cell phone, more specifically a StarkPhone produced by Stark Industries." Sarah activates the screen and hands it to Howard. He looks at the small device before pushing a button causing a calendar to appear with the date Sarah had disappeared open on it. He continues to play with it for a few moments before coming across her photos. He scrolls through a few of them. Some are her in her uniform, some are with her school friends, one is her and Steve boxing, one has Tony and Bruce running from Clint who is hanging out of an airshaft, another has Sarah sitting in the park with the New York skyline behind her. Howard stares at the last picture he comes upon. It's the whole family in a group picture Peter had taken for them. "Do you believe me, Mr. Stark?"

"This one," Howard says pointing to Tony, "he looks like me a bit."

"He's a family member," Sarah answers softly. Howard points to Steve.

"He looks like a bigger version of the kid that was with Erskine."

"He is," Sarah answers a little shaky. Howard looks up to see her hands shaking slight and she wipes the tears off her face. "He's my dad. He's your super soldier. Mr. Stark, I just want to get home. My dad always said you were a brilliant man. I came to you because you are one of the most brilliant people around for this time period. The things you go on to create, they're amazing. Please, I need your help."

"Miss, time travel is a widely unexplored concept. It would take over a decade to even get a prototype."

"I will wait the time if I have to. The sooner I can get to my family the sooner I can get home. Will you help me?" Sarah pleads. Howard looks her in the face.

"Yes, I will try to get you back home, but I can't make any guarantees. You'll need something to do for the time being. What do you do in the future?" he inquires.

"Other than being a student, I work part time as an intelligence agency operative. The agency's birth started here with the SSR. I was sort of born and bred to be a soldier." Howard thinks about it for a few minutes.

"I can get you a position in the SSR. I have friends in high places, I should be able to pull it off. What's your name?" he asks. There's a knock on the door and Dr. Erskine steps in.

"Still in your meeting, Mr. Stark? Would you like me to step out?" Erskine asks.

"No, you better stay. This young lady knows who your soldier is," Howard says. Erskine looks over at Sarah.

"You were the girl with Steven. You showed him to the recruitment center," Erskine comments.

"Yes, well, he was coming here anyway. I was just making sure James didn't change anything," Sarah mutters. "Dr. Erskine, pleasure to meet you."

"Did you tell her my name, Mr. Stark?"

"She knew it when she came in. She's not from around here, Abraham," Howard says flatly. He holds up Sarah's cell phone. "She called it a cell phone, more specifically a StarkPhone." Howard brings up the picture with Steve and shows it to Erskine. "Remind you of anybody?"

"Steven," Erskine says looking at the picture closely. "What is this technology?"

"You will not see it in your life time, Doctor," Sarah says simply. "Mr. Stark will see a different version of it. I'm from the year 2013. I was sent back here by an enemy of my family. I suppose she's still mad I foiled her little plot in the fall."

"You believe this Howard?" Erskine questions. Howard shows him the other gadgets on the phone. "So Steven is the soldier?"

"Yes. He'll prove himself, don't you worry about that. My dad is stubborn," Sarah laughs.

"Your dad? Steven is your father?"

"You are correct."

"So your last name is Rogers?" Erskine questions.

"Yes. I'm Sarah Natasha Rogers, oldest child of Steve's. Well, I'm his clone, just female. Don't ask, it's a very long story and the technology is decades away. Anyway, I told Steve that my name was Natalie Rushman. I figured it would be better if I didn't tell him I'm his future daughter. You know, destroying the whole time line? Very bad idea, very bad," Sarah repeats with a shake of her head. "Can I have my phone back Howard?" Howard hands it to her and Sarah smiles as she slips it into her pocket and sips on her drink.

"I'm going to get her a position that I can keep an eye out on her," Howard tells Erskine.

"That would be wise."

"Is there anything you can tell us about the future, Miss Rogers?" Howard asks.

"Mr. Stark, unless you want a paradox on your hands, I will not reveal information about the future and try to keep my tampering to a minimum, yes?" Sarah confirms.

"She has a point Mr. Stark. I must go. My car is waiting."

"See you at the main event, Erskine," Howard says as the older man leaves. Howard looks at Sarah. "You're staying with me until this all gets sorted out." Sarah nods and follows Howard out of the Expo. Sarah smirks at the thought of Tony wanting to kill her later. Howard leads her out of the building and to his private car. Sarah slips into his car and they head to Howard's mansion in New York.

"So, do I know you in the future?" Howard inquires.

"No, unfortunately you were killed before I was born. But your son has told me about you. He told me about a lot of things. A few others have told me about you as well," Sarah says relaxing in the car. She opens the jacket and Howard notes the clothes. "I suppose I'm going to have to wear dresses."

"In this time, it is common." Sarah sighs and sits back. "Do I know your father well?"

"He trusted you and admired you a bit. He's compared your son to you multiple times. He told me about a crazy mission you go on. I can't tell you though," she says. "You tell your son about him, apparently you worshipped my father."

"I doubt that."

"Eh, it's an opinion."

"We'll be in traffic a while," Howard notes. Sarah looks out the front window to see all the traffic in front of them from the Expo. She draws the jacket around her tighter and closes her eyes for a while. Sometime between there and the mansion, Sarah manages to fall asleep next to Howard. The genius smirks at the sleeping teenager before picking her up and having the help open the mansion doors for him. He lays her down in a bed, removes the jacket and shoes, and tucks her in to sleep. He pulls the phone she had out and looks at it. The technology is over his head but as he looks at it, he goes to the picture she had been staring at. He brushes his thumb across his son's face. Tony's head is next to Steve's head. The two have their arms over each other's shoulders and they're laughing. Howard swears to himself that he'd make sure she'd see them again.

The next few hours of Howard's time are spent pulling strings and making deals with various agencies and people. Two of them were Phillips and Carter. Peggy would have uniforms over in the morning for their new friend. Phillips had said she was to come to base and walk in Peggy's footsteps until they could find a use for her. Howard catches three hours of sleep before Peggy calls to say she's on her way from the base to pick up her new friend. Sarah or rather Natalie's cover was she's Agent Carter's American equal. So she'd be seeing a lot of her father.

Howard has Jarvis, the butler; make breakfast for both Howard and Sarah. The pair then goes upstairs to the spare room Sarah is occupying. Howard cracks the door open before entering. He motions Jarvis to put the food down on the table next to the window and shoos the butler away. Howard sits down on Sarah's bed and shakes her shoulder softly. Her blue eyes flutter open and disappointment fills her eyes. Howard opens his mouth to ask the obvious question.

"I was hoping it was a dream," she mutters cutting him off. Howard nods sadly as the teen sits up and rubs the sleep from her eyes. "You look like hell."

"You're very blunt aren't you?"

"Blame the family, specifically Tony Stark. He's in charge of me when my parents are away," Sarah sighs. "Sorry, I'm just tired and homesick."

"Where is your home?" Howard inquires.

"NYC, I reside at Stark Tower, Tony's baby. Though he said we're moving into his mansion here in the city, I suppose that's this building?" Sarah guesses.

"That would be my guess. Perhaps I'll leave behind a gift for you when you move in," he chuckles.

"I'd like that, Mr. Stark." Howard motions to the table.

"Care to join me for breakfast? Jarvis fixed it for us," Howard says.

"Sounds good. Wait, Jarvis?" Sarah questions.

"He's my butler."

"Huh, Tony has an Artificial Intelligence called JARVIS, he's Tony's robotic butler," Sarah remarks as Howard helps her out of bed. "He called it 'Just A Rather Very Intelligent System' I believe. Maybe he named it after your Jarvis." Howard chuckles as he pushes her chair in once she's seated. They dig into the breakfast, Sarah looking out at the skyline.

"Does it fascinate you?" Howard inquires.

"Quite, yes. The skyline I'm used to, it has larger buildings, skyscrapers. And of course the World Trade Center buildings are in construction since the originals were destroyed," Sarah says. "I wish I could have seen those."

"Seen what?"

"The Twin Towers, the original World Trade Center. They build them in a couple of decades. They're destroyed by terrorists in the 21st century. I wasn't in New York then, I only moved in about six months ago in my time," Sarah explains. "The future is very complicated."

"I'm starting to understand that. Agent Peggy Carter is coming over this morning. I pulled some strings and you're going to Camp Lehigh to learn from her and be her equal in the U.S. half of the SSR. I trust you know about her."

"Yes, my father spoke fondly of her. I believe she's alive in my time, I just haven't met her." There's a knock on the door followed by Edwin Jarvis opening the door.

"Sir, madam, Agent Carter is here."

"Send her in here," Howard orders. Jarvis steps out of the doorway and Peggy walks in with an arm full of uniforms. Sarah can see why her dad had loved her and why he loved Natasha. They carry themselves very similarly, but Peggy has brown hair. She wants to slap her head at the realization but restrains herself.

"Howard Stark what have you gotten yourself into?" Peggy demands. Peggy looks at Sarah with a suspicious eye. "She's from the future?"

"You must be Peggy Carter. My father has told me about you, along with a number of others. I must say, you're everything he described you to be," Sarah says with a chuckle. She stands and extends her hand after cleaning it on a napkin. "It's an honor to meet you."

"A polite woman that associates with the Stark Family? I never thought I'd see the day," she scoffs. "Natalie is the alias, correct?"

"Yes ma'am."

"All right, Natalie, we need you in uniform. You're done eating I see. We'll leave once you're in uniform. Mr. Stark, out," Peggy says firmly. Howard takes his drink and scurries out of the room. Peggy places the uniforms on the bed and closes the curtains. "Strip." Sarah removes everything but her underwear and bra. Peggy hands her an old-fashioned bra to change into. Peggy turns around as she does so. She then hands Sarah a skirt, the perfect size for her first guess. Sarah slips it on and shifts slightly in it. She rarely wears dresses. Peggy than hands her a white blouse followed by a brown button up coat to go over it. Peggy holds out a tie.

"Do you know how to put it on?" she inquires.

"Yes." Sarah goes to the mirror and puts it on easily.

"Good. Now that we know that fits," she says pulling out a pair of trousers and a different jacket. "I had to beg Phillips to let me give you this uniform. You can wear this for everything but formal events, at such times you must wear the skirt and the fancy coat. Change." Sarah beams before quickly changing. Peggy has her try on heels followed by a pair of boots.

"Thank you, Agent Carter," Sarah says as she stands up in the boots and trousers.

"We are women in a man's war," she says, "we must stick together. Now, we are meeting the recruits for the Super Soldier program at Camp Lehigh today. So I suppose you'll be seeing much of your father according to Mr. Stark."

"I suppose."

"I have more uniforms waiting at the barracks so you'll have more to change into. You and I will share barracks for now. We're the only two that aren't nurses there," she informs Sarah. Sarah nods in understanding. Sarah packs her 21st century things in a small bag Howard had brought to her room sometime during the night. He'd keep it around for her. Peggy and Sarah say their goodbyes to Howard before going to the waiting car. They arrive at Camp Lehigh early still. The soldier recruits are waiting out front. A man comes with a box full of clipboards.

"Recruits, attention," Peggy orders. The recruits snap to attention. Sarah follows directly behind Peggy. "Gentlemen, I am Agent Carter. I supervise all operations for this division. This is Agent Rushman, my equal."

"What's with the accent Queen Victoria? Thought I was signing up for the U.S. Army," a recruit, Hodge, says. Sarah smirks this should be fun.

"What's your name, soldier?"

"Gilmore Hodge, your majesty."

"Step forward Hodge." The man does as he's told. "Put your right foot forward." The man starts to hand out the clipboards.

"Are we gonna wrestle? Because I got a few moves I know you'll like," Hodge chuckles.

"May I?" Sarah asks Carter in her ear.

"Of course." Sarah moves forward taking Carter's place.

"You want to wrestle?" Hodge laughs. Sarah smiles, kicks him in the shin, knees him where it hurts, before giving him a nice uppercut to send him on his ass. It's a combination that works with overzealous oafs.

"Nicely done," Peggy approves.

"Thank you, ma'am."

"Agent Carter, Agent Rushman."

"Colonel Phillips," Carter says as both she and Sarah turn around.

"I can see you're breaking in the candidates, that's good," Colonel Phillips comments walking up. Carter and Sarah turn around as Phillips stares down at Hodge. "Get your ass up out of the dirt and stand in that line at attention until somebody comes tells you what to do."

"Yes sir." Phillips starts walking the line.

"General Patton has said that wars are fought with weapons but are won by men. We are going to win this war because we have the best," he pauses as he sees Steve, "men." He glances at Erskine who avoids his gaze. Sarah holds back the smirk. "And because they are gonna get better. Much better. The Strategic Scientific Reserve is an allied effort made up of the best minds in the free world. Our goal is to create the best army in history, but every army starts with one man. At the end of this week, we will choose that man. He will be the first in a new breed of super-soldier. And he will personally escort Adolf Hitler to the gates of Hell." Sarah smirks as Phillips looks down his line again. He sends the troops out on some basic training with Carter.

"Agent Rushman, stay behind." Sarah stays behind and looks at the Colonel as they stand alone. "Mr. Stark has told me some of your situation. But as long as you're in this division, you answer to me, got it?"

"Yes sir."

"Now go watch the men." Sarah nods and jogs off to meet Carter. The pair starts to evaluate the men as they train. The capture the flag from the flagpole causes Sarah to watch. She taps Carter's shoulder and motions her to watch. The two were sitting in the jeep with a man driving. The pair watch as the whole group tries to capture the flag. Then Steve walks up, pulls the pin, and snatches the flag off the pole.

"Thank you sir," he says handing it to the drill sergeant. Sarah offers a hand and helps him into the jeep. Carter and Sarah smirk at each other as the jeep pulls away toward the base. "You never said you were in the military, Natalie."

"Yes, well, I didn't know we'd be seeing each other again," Sarah answers.

"You two know each other?" Peggy inquires.

"Natalie beat up a man behind a movie theater because he was beating me up. We went to the World Expo together," Steve explains.

"Interesting." They drop Steve off at his barracks. Sarah and Peggy wait at the finishing line for the rest of the group.

"Say it Peggy," Sarah says not looking at her superior.

"You didn't say you met him outside of this," Peggy counters.

"Yes, well, I'm trying to keep the damage to the time stream down to a minimal," she answers. Peggy rolls her eyes. The seventh day comes and the pair leads the recruits through their daily exercises.

"Come on ladies, my grandmother has more life in her god rest her soul," Peggy says walking back and forth in front of the men doing pushups.

"You're not really thinking about picking Rogers, are you?" Phillips says as he examines the recruits.

"I wasn't just thinking about it," Erskine counters. "He's the clear choice." Sarah, hearing every word, smiles.

"When you brought a ninety-pound asthmatic onto my army base, I let it slide. I thought, 'What the hell, maybe he'd be useful to you. Like a gerbil.' Never thought you'd pick him," Phillips scoffs.

"Up!" Sarah shouts causing the men to start doing jumping jacks.

"You put a needle in that kid's arm it's going to go right through him," Phillips states.

"Come on, girls!" Peggy shouts at the exhausted men.

Phillips looks at Steve and says, "Look at that. He's makin' me cry."

"I am looking for qualities beyond the physical," Erskine replies.

"Do you know how long it took to set up this project?" Phillips asks. "Of all the groveling I had to do in front of Senator What's-his-name's committee?"

"Yes I'm well aware of your efforts," Erskine reassures him.

"Then throw me a bone. Hodge passed every test we gave him. He's big, he's fast, he obeys orders, he's a soldier," Phillips says pointedly.

"He's a bully."

"You don't win wars with niceness doctor. You win wars with guts," Phillips says. He turns to the truck they're standing next to and pulls out a dummy grenade. He pulls the pin and throws the grenade among the recruits. "GRENADE!" The recruits scatter, but Steve jumps at the grenade. He shoos Sarah and Peggy away when the try to approach.

"Stay back! Stay back!" Steve realizes it's not going off. Sarah offers her hand to him. "Is this a test?" Sarah nods and pulls the soldier up. She grabs the dummy grenade and shows it to Phillips.

"Colonel, this is what I think of that," she says simply before chucking the grenade through the window of his own quarters. "Back to work ladies!"

"He's still skinny," Phillips snaps at Erskine. Phillips storms off for his quarters. Erskine walks over and stands next to Sarah.

"Well played," Erskine says softly.

"I do my best. You're not bad yourself, Doctor."

"Make the announcement for the men to pack up," Erskine orders. "But pull Rogers aside to give him the news alone." Sarah nods as Erskine walks away.

"Attention ladies!" Sarah shouts. Peggy looks at her and Sarah whispers to her the situation. "Pack your bags ladies! You're shipping out. You will be informed privately on where you're going! Back to barracks!" The group moves for the barracks. "Rogers, front and center." Steve hurries forward and Sarah smirks at the man as Peggy holds out her hand to him.

"Congratulations," Peggy says, "you've been chosen." The look on Steve's face says it all. Sarah pulls a canteen of water off the truck and holds it out to Steve.

"Drink that. No eating or drinking after that. Have it done by four." Steve nods and chugs the water as he heads back for the barracks. Peggy turns to Sarah.

"He's really going to be the soldier?" Peggy scoffs.

"Yes. I'm proud to call him my father," Sarah replies watching her skinny dad walk away. "I never got to grow up with him. This sort of makes up for it." She scratches her head as they head toward their barracks.

"Why didn't you grow up with him?" Peggy asks.

"I'm his clone, Peggy. I'm a replica of Steve, just female. The males were all unstable, well other than two of them. One of them is dead and the other is my little brother. I was created before he reemerges in the 21st century," Sarah states. "He didn't know about me."

"Can't you tell him now and have him change that?" Peggy asks.

"No, I'd end up messing up my time stream and I'm going to attempt to prevent that. I mean, my being here is messing things up already. I've been told the stories. It was always Peggy, Howard, Phillips, Dad, and his war buddies. There was never a Natalie Rushman in the picture," Sarah tells her.

"Are you sure?" Peggy inquires. "We've hidden all your records. Officially, you don't exist."

"Peggy, don't push it." Peggy laughs. She had given up trying to teach Sarah how to talk like a proper lady from the 40s. Sarah had given up swearing but that was about as good as it was going to get. Sarah walks over to barracks where she hears Dr. Erskine talking to Steve inside. Sarah knocks softly.

"Come in," Steve calls. Sarah walks inside and smiles at the pair. "Agent Rushman."

"I came to say goodnight gentlemen. Get a goodnight's sleep, Steve. Tomorrow is a big day," Sarah says walking up. Erskine offers her a glass of schnapps. Sarah takes it with a smile and tosses it back with no problem. She hands him back the glass. "Thank you Doctor."

"Drink often?" Erskine inquires.

"Don't feel it," Sarah answers. "Goodnight Steve, Doctor."

"Agent Rushman, can I ask you something?" Steve asks as Sarah goes to move away.

"Sure."

"Why does it feel like I know you, ma'am?" Steve inquires. Sarah thinks about it a second before looking at the good doctor. Erskine leaves and Sarah sits down on the bed in front of Steve.

"Steve, that is an extremely hard question for me to answer," Sarah says softly looking at the ground. Her hand ghosts over the cloaked gauntlet on her arm. Steve raises an eyebrow at the teenager across from him. "Do you believe in heroes, Steve? Ones with powers beyond normal?"

"I don't know ma'am."

"Let's talk theoretical for a moment," Sarah says looking up at her father. "Say seventy some years in the future, you have a family member that's like my age. And that person, thanks to an enemy, is sent back in time where she has to figure out a way home without messing up the past she knows too badly." Sarah glances at the floor and then at a confused Steve. She pulls the necklace hidden inside of her blouse out and hands it to him. He runs his fingers over the letters.

"So you're?"

"Yeah. I'm doing as little as I can to this timeline. So, I have to ask you to forget everything I've just said, if you remember in the future, it's going to mess everything up and I won't be the person I am. So please," Sarah says taking Steve's hands in her own hands, "forget everything I just said and remember me as Natalie Rushman." Steve looks up at her nervously.

"One condition," Steve says, "you show me who you really are. The black doesn't suit you." Sarah sighs and runs her hand through her hair; the enchantment clings to her hand as her hair goes blond again. Steve puts his hand to her hair before dropping it. She runs her hand through her hair causing the enchantment to go back in place. "How can you do that?"

"I have friends with magical talents," she answers. "I'm sure if I tried, I could contact them here, but they wouldn't know me now. Steve, can I have those back?"

"Sure, Natalie." Sarah smiles in relief as she takes the tags back and slips them back on. "So, everything goes fine tomorrow?"

"Not everything. I'm not interfering with what I know about. If I did, you wouldn't be the same man. Now, get some sleep." Steve nods and lies down on the bed. Sarah drapes the blanket over him before going to turn the light off.

"I named you after my mother didn't I?" Steve inquires.

"You did." Sarah turns the lights off and walks away. Steve smiles inside; he was no longer scared just happy. The next morning, Sarah rides with Dr. Erskine to the facility. Peggy and Steve would ride together after them. Sarah's in her dress suit and uncomfortably walking in her heels.

"Natalie, pleasure to see you again," Howard says kissing her cheek as she walks into the lab.

"Howard, it's good to see you. My possessions?"

"Hidden in a safe at Stark Mansion. How's Steve?" Howard inquires.

"Nervous. Whatever happens today, do not turn the reactor off, got it?" Sarah says. Howard nods and turns his head as the doors open to reveal Steve and Peggy. The pair come down the stairs and over to the table. Peggy and Sarah watch silently as Steve undresses and the last preparations are made. Steve, Erskine, and Howard all make they're comments.

"Ladies, wouldn't you be more comfortable in the booth?" Erskine inquires. Sarah motions to the stairs and plops down on them to wait. Peggy goes into the room. Sarah's perfectly positioned to grab Peggy when she runs out to try to stop the procedure. Sarah smiles as Erskine taps the microphone.

"Do you hear me? Is this on? Ladies and gentlemen, today we take not another step toward annihilation but the first step on the path to peace. We begin a series of micro injections into the subject's major muscle groups. The serum infusion will cause immediate cellular change. And then, to stimulate growth, the subject will be saturated with vita-rays." Erskine sets the microphone down and walks over to Steve. The nurse injects him with penicillin.

"That wasn't so bad," Steve jokes.

"That was penicillin." He looks back toward the technicians. "Serum infusion in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1." The pads in place the serum is injected into Steve. Sarah winces. "Now Mr. Stark."

Howard turns on the capsule, which stands itself up, locking Steve inside. Erskine checks on Steve before giving Howard the order. Howard starts to send power to the capsule; the window allows the light through. Howard gives out the readings. Steve starts yelling in pain and Sarah is instantly up. Erskine rushes toward the capsule calling Steve's name. Peggy bursts through the doors.

"Shut it down!" Peggy yells. "Shut it down!"

"Shut the reactor down, Mr. Stark!" Erskine yells at Stark. "Kill the reactor!"

"Don't you dare Howard!" Sarah snaps holding Peggy back. "Howard, don't!"

"No! Don't! I can do this!" Steve yells.

"Howard, don't touch it. Remember what I said!" Sarah snaps charging down the stairs. Howard nods at Sarah before increasing the power.

"That's 100%," Stark announces. The electronics start to short circuit. Sarah jumps over the railing as Erskine calls for Stark to release Steve. Sarah catches her father as Erskine helps him out of the pod. Howard replaces Sarah on Steve's left. Peggy looks at Steve. Peggy touches Steve's chest much to Sarah's amusement. She smiles at Steve; he's now two inches above her height again. This was the Steve she was used to.

"How do you feel?" Peggy asks.

"Taller."

"You look taller." Everyone swarms Steve, except one man. Erskine and Sarah look at him. Erskine recognizes him. Sarah doesn't but she can take the guess that that's the guy her dad had told her about. He uses a lighter to set off the explosion upstairs, sending everyone down for cover. Erskine stands up and the man shoots him twice in the heart. The nurses screech as the man takes off upstairs. Peggy gets a few shots off at the man as Sarah catches Erskine and lowers him to the ground. Steve kneels next to the doctor who points with one finger at Steve's heart twice. Steve glares up the stairs and takes off after the man and Peggy. Sarah leaps up the stairs after him. Shots can be heard from the store. The shots continue outside where Peggy is shooting at the getaway car. The HYDRA agent jumps into a taxi and aims at Peggy. Peggy continues to shoot until Steve tackles her.

"I had him!"

"Sorry!" Steve shouts as he takes off running after the cab. Sarah kicks off the heels and goes off after Steve. She tears the dress in the process but keeps up with Steve. No way he was going to get hurt on her watch. Sarah vaguely remembers Steve telling her where they had ended up so she detours and heads for the docks. She gets there in time to see Steve jump off the taxi and the taxi rolling. Sprinting after the man, she follows Steve.

"You shouldn't be here," Steve says.

"Like I'd let you face him alone," Sarah mutters. Steve looks around the corner as the man holds a gun to a little boy's head.

"Wait! Don't! Don't!" The man points the gun at Steve and pulls the trigger but the gun is empty. The man goes to toss the boy into the water. "No don't!" Steve hurries toward the side while the man runs away.

"You get him, I got the boy!" Sarah yells. She dives in after the boy and tosses him onto the cement. She climbs up and checks the boy over, but he's fine. She hurries down the dock in time to see Steve toss the man out of the water. She grabs the man and pins him to the ground. The serum shatters on the ground.

"Who the hell are you!" Steve demands grabbing the man's collar.

"First of many! Cut off one head," the man crunches down on something, "two more shall take its place! Hail Hydra!" Steve releases the man's collar as he foams at the mouth. Sarah looks up at Steve.

"Erskine is dead," Steve breathes.

"I'm so sorry, Steve." Steve shakes it off and pulls her back toward the road. Two government cars come up, Peggy is in one and runs to Sarah's side.

"Are you two all right?" Peggy asks.

"Steve is shot," Sarah says pointing at the soldier. "The dead guy is by the docks."

"Take them back," Peggy says motioning to her driver. The two Rogers climb into the car and ride back to the base of operations where a medic takes care of Steve. As Steve and Sarah walk toward Colonel Phillips, Steve looks at her skirt.

"You really do not like skirts, do you?" he questions.

"I hate them. I only own like three dresses," Sarah confesses. Phillips ships them off in cars back to the barracks once Peggy arrives.

Sarah sits alone in her and Peggy's room. Her hair is dry now. Her clothes are changed into the trousers again. She sits staring at the ground with no interest in it. Her hands are holding the dog tags Nick had given her. She was starting to forget what the 21st century was like and she'd only been here a little over a week. She sighs and puts the tags back on next to her new ones. She knows what'll happen tomorrow. Steve will join the USO for five months. Howard, Peggy, and Phillips will go to London and then to a few of the camps in Europe. Nine to 1 bet says she's going to be with Peggy and Phillips.

"Natalie," Peggy says coming in. Sarah looks up at the brunette. "There's a man here to see you." Sarah cocks an eyebrow and stands up. She exits the room to see, in a suit of the 40s, Loki.

"Peggy, can you leave us alone?" Sarah asks. Peggy nods and Sarah motions Loki inside. She closes the door behind her and the god looks at her with a suspicious eye. "Well, you're not the version of Loki I was expecting."

"And what is that supposed to mean?" Loki demands.

"Well, you're seventy years younger and not as emotionally wrecked. I take it you sensed this," Sarah asks pulling her pendant out. She had it still. One thing she refused to part with besides the dog tags.

"Yes, that's why I am here. I can sense you through it. I can tell my magic and my father's magic is in it. Yet you are not of Asgardian blood. Nor, I think, from this time," Loki states examining her.

"You are correct, Prince Loki," Sarah says dryly. "I'm from seventy or so years into the future. I got sent back here by a small gem in the possession of an Asgardian sorceress. I'm stuck here until my friends come pick me up. From what both you and Thor have told me, time travel is a difficult spell to weave so I will not ask you to weave it." Loki examines her closer and Sarah allows it.

"Who am I to you in the future?" he inquires.

"Something of an older brother or protective uncle," Sarah answers. "There is, however, one thing I'd like to ask of you."

"What is it?"

"There is a man here. I told him I was from the future and that we're family. Can you just remove the whole I'm from the future thing and the name he knows from there?" Sarah asks Loki hesitantly.

"Yes, I suppose that's reasonable. It should help keep things together in the future. Being the God of Lies, I know you're telling the truth. Remember, young one, I am a summons away. I give that charm to few, and those I do are dear to me. I will serve you here as I do in the future," Loki says looking her over. "Do I get even with Thor?"

"Don't get me started on the two of you. Thank you Loki and good luck." Loki nods and leaves the room. Sarah can feel him cast the enchantment and that eases her nerves. The future goes as she guesses; she and Peggy pack their things to leave. Sarah looks at Steve for a moment as they prepare to leave base before departing with Peggy. This would be the last time she sees Steve for five long months.

* * *

**Are ya'll happy? I stayed up to two in the morning reviewing this. So this is the first chapter of time travel. There are two more, though really there's only one and a third in the past. So yeah. **

**Aaron is staying. And the pairing of AaronXSarah is staying. I like them and as many people pointed out, 80,000 words is a lot to rewrite and that's without revisions and author's notes. **

**No questions this time around. **

**NIGHT! **

**Review please. **


	18. The Rescue of the Howling Commandos

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE AVENGERS OR MARVEL!**

**Peggy: Where's Sarge?**

**Bucky: I don't know. **

**_Howard and Steve walk in dragging Sarge between them. _**

**Peggy: Why?**

**Steve: She was hiding. **

**Sarge: I DON'T LIKE THE CHAPTER!**

**Howard: Say it and we'll let you go.**

**Sarge: I don't own anything Marvel related. **

**_Steve and Howard release her and she takes off. _**

**Howard: She hates the chapter. **

**Steve: I know. Give her ice cream she'll be happy._  
_**

* * *

"Peggy, Phillips will have us discharged," Sarah says as they head toward the stage. She wants to see him just as much as Peggy but she'd rather not get on the bad side of her commanding officer. He could get her imprisoned easily.

"You want to see him just as badly as I." Sarah sighs and follows her through the rain to the stage. They look down at him from the top of the stairs.

"Hello Steve," Peggy says causing the super soldier to turn around from his drawing to look at the pair.

"Hi," Steve says slightly surprised as Peggy folds her coat up.

"Hi," Sarah and Peggy say in return moving to sit on the footlocker behind him.

"What are you doing here?" Steve asks. He looks between the two of them but lets his eyes settle on Peggy.

"Officially we're not here at all," Sarah answers as she opens up the collar of her jacket.

"That was quite the performance," Peggy says as she sits down and Sarah stands in her wet jacket.

"Yeah, uh," Steve starts looking away, "I had to improvise a little bit. The crowds I'm used to are usually more, twelve."

"I understand you're America's new hope," Peggy says trying to get Steve's mind elsewhere.

"Bond sales take a ten percent bump in every state I visit," Steve says simply.

"Is that Senator Brant I hear?" Sarah scoffs.

"At least he's got me doing this," Steve says glancing at the floor under Peggy's shoes. "Phillips would have had me stuck in a lab." Sarah winces thinking of the Corporation. Yeah, she would rather do the shows than be in a lab.

"And these are your only two options? A lab rat or a dancing monkey? You were meant for more than this you know," Peggy says. Steve glances around somberly. "What?"

"You know for the longest time I dreamed about coming overseas, and being on the front lines, serving my country. Finally got everything I wanted." He pauses glancing around. "And I'm wearing tights." The trio turn around to see an ambulance pull up with new wounded. "They look like they've been through hell."

"These men more than most," Peggy says. "Schmidt sent out a force to a zone. Two hundred men went up against him and less than fifty returned. Your audience contained what was left of the 107th." Sarah cusses in her head; this explains that suicide mission Steve told her about years later. Steve looks up at her quickly. "The rest were killed or captured."

"The 107th?" Steve demands.

"What?" Peggy asks.

"Come on!" Steve says sprinting toward Phillips's tent. Sarah matches Steve's pace easily with Peggy flapping her jacket about.

"Colonel Phillips," Steve says walking up to the man.

"Well if it isn't the Star Spangled Man with a plan," Phillips remarks upon Steve's approach. Sarah leans against a table with her arms folded. "What is your plan today?"

"I need the casualty lists from Azano." **_(I guessed on what that last word was, do not kill me.)_**

"You don't get to give me orders son," Phillips says.

"I just need one name, Sergeant James Barnes from the 107th," Steve states.

"You and I," Phillips says pointing at Peggy more than Sarah, "are going to have a conversation later that you will not enjoy."

"Please tell me if he's alive, sir," Steve continues. "B A R…"

"I can spell." Phillips stands up to put papers on the table behind him. "I've signed more of these condolence letters today than I care to count. But, the name does sound familiar. I'm sorry." Barnes turns around to see Steve at last. The face Steve has is a mask with a crack of heartbreak on it.

"What about the others?" Steve asks. "Are you planning a rescue mission?"

"Yeah, it's called winning the war," Phillips answers.

"But if you know where they are why not at least-," Steve says but Phillips cuts him off.

"They're thirty miles behind the lines through some of the most heavily fortified territory in Europe. We'd lose more men than we'd save. But I don't expect you to understand that because you're a chorus girl," Phillips says. Steve stares at the point on the map that Phillips had just been staring at. A plan is starting to formulate in his head. Sarah starts to plan as well.

"I think I understand just fine," Steve replies.

"Well than understand it somewhere else. If I read the posters correctly, you have a place to be in a thirty minutes," Phillips says walking past Steve.

"Yes sir I do," Steve says staring at the point on the map. Peggy watches Steve leave with realization on her face.

"If you have something to say right now is the perfect time to keep it to yourself," Phillips says pointing to Peggy. Peggy glances at Phillips before motioning Sarah to follow her.

"Get Howard to fuel up the plane," Peggy orders.

"Me and him will be waiting."

"You going with Steve all the way in?" Peggy inquires.

"Of course. I haven't seen action in a while so I'm a little restless," Sarah chuckles. She leaves to find Howard and his private plane. They have the plane fueled before Steve and Peggy arrive with his gear. Steve has on one of the stage girl's helmets, his uniform, and the shield. They're up in the air quickly. Peggy tells Steve where the base is. Howard says that he'll drop Steve right on their doorstep, but Steve says just to get close. They talk about the fact that they're both in deep shit when they get back without their poster boy with them. Howard gives Steve a transmitter to alert Howard about a ride. Howard asks Peggy to a late night fondue, which of course Steve takes the wrong way, much to Sarah's amusement. The female super soldier has her helmet on, a men's uniform, a few guns, a parachute, and a multitude of knives. Steve glances at her periodically. He didn't like the idea of Sarah tagging along. Just as Howard makes a comment about the transmitter being tested more than Steve, they're under fire.

"Get back here! We're taking you all the way in!" Peggy says as Steve stand for the door, which Sarah's already opened for them. She waits in the doorway.

"As soon as I'm clear, you turn this thing around and get the hell out of here!" Steve orders.

"You can't give me orders!" Peggy shouts as Steve leans over Sarah to gaze at the air.

"The hell I can't! I'm a captain!" Steve puts on his goggles. Sarah dives out of the plane and pulls her chute at the last second so she avoids most of the enemy fire. Steve lands not twenty feet from her as she cuts her lines and hides the chute.

"You're crazy," Steve says.

"Runs in the family," Sarah mutters under her breath. The pair run to the road and sneak aboard a load of trucks. Steve incapacitates the two HYDRA agents followed by the third that checks the truck when they park. Steve and Sarah sneak through the compound toward the main building. They easily scale the buildings.

Steve lures a guard to the door where he knocks the man unconscious. Once inside the room, they know this is a factory area. Steve and Sarah walk to a table of glowing clips. Sarah puts one in her pocket and Steve puts one in his. They both have their guns at the ready. They find the detention center, well one level above it, where a lone guard is patrolling. Sarah holds Steve's gun while Steve incapacitates the man. He falls on one of the tops of the cages startling the men bellow. The two Americans look down at the prisoners.

"Who you supposed to be?" one of the men asks Steve.

"Captain America and this is Agent Rushman." Sarah smiles at the gentlemen as they rush to the ladder down into the main level of the detention center in order to free the prisoners. Both Steve and Sarah hear the one say, "I beg your pardon." Sarah and Steve free the prisoners and Steve tells them about James Barnes. They learn that there's an isolation ward on the other side of the factory that no one ever returns from.

"All right, the tree line is North West, it's eighty yards past the gate. Get out fast and give them hell," Steve says looking around. "I'll meet you guys in the clearing with anybody else I find. Natalie, door."

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

"Yeah. I've knocked out Adolf Hitler over two hundred times," Steve answers. Sarah shakes her head as she opens the door and follows Steve across the factory. They fight their way across and into the isolation ward. A short scientist is seen fleeing as they walk. They hear a moan in the room that the scientist had just left. The pair enters and finds Bucky there. Sarah cuts him loose while Steve tries to get the man to respond. Steve and Sarah glance at the map memorizing the location of the other factories.

"I thought you were dead," Steve says pulling Bucky to his feet.

"I thought you were smaller," Bucky counters. Steve and Sarah practically drag the exhausted soldier away from the table. "What happened to you?"

"I joined the army," Steve answers bluntly. After half the hallway, Bucky walks on his own.

"Did it hurt?"

"A little."

"Is it permanent?"

"So far," Steve answers. Bucky looks at Sarah.

"How'd you?"

"Let's put it this way, I as strong as he is, I just have all the looks in the family," Sarah mutters. The factory starts exploding below them as they make it to the factory catwalk.

"Captain America! How exciting!" Two men stand across the catwalk walking headed to an elevator. The smaller one takes a case from the taller man in black with the HYDRA symbol on it. Sarah pulls Bucky behind her. She knew this had to be the Red Skull. Schmidt starts onto the catwalk connecting the two spots. "I am a big fan of your films!" He steps onto the walkway between them. Steve steps up to the entrance on their side. "So Doctor Erskine managed it after all," Schmidt says as the two start walking toward each other. Sarah holds onto Bucky knowing the fight between them about to erupt. "Not exactly an improvement but still, impressive."

Steve punches Schmidt causing the man to stumble back and put his hand to his face. "You got no idea." A red section of skin is exposed below Schmidt's eye.

"Haven't I?" Schmidt questions going to punch Steve. Steve raises the shield to take the punch. Bucky holds Sarah closer as the girl flinches. She wants to help her father but knows she shouldn't. Schmidt leaves a dent in Steve's shield. Steve goes to draw his gun but punches Steve, causing it to fly from his hand. Steve lands on the grate on his back. Schmidt starts toward him but Steve uses his position to kick Schmidt back. The man on the other side pulls a lever sending the catwalk sections backwards, along with the two opponents.

"No matter what lies Erskine told you, I was his greatest success!" Red Skull takes his mask off to reveal the infamous red skull. Steve's disgusted.

"You don't have one of those, do you?" Bucky asks. Sarah shakes her head at Bucky.

"You are diluted Captain," Schmidt states. "You pretend to be a simple soldier but in reality you are just afraid to admit that we have left humanity behind." Schmidt and his friend head into the elevator. "And unlike you I embrace it proudly without fear."

"Then how come you're running?" Steve questions. Another explosion goes off. Steve looks around for a way out. "Come on let's go," Steve says. "Hop." Steve heads for the stairs but Sarah grabs Bucky and heaves him onto her back. She leaps up the stairs and sets the injured soldier down. She can see where he wants to cross.

"Steve, no!" Sarah snaps. "I know how this will end. Please."

"We need to get out of here and this is the best way," Steve states.

"It's going to collapse when Bucky get's 3/4ths of the way across. You told me yourself!" Sarah snaps at him. She quickly pulls at her shirt and reveals a cord wound tightly around her stomach. She pulls a grappling hook from her bag and attaches it to the cord. She quickly throws the hook into the rafters and pulls on it tightly. She attaches it to her belt and grabs Bucky around the waist.

"You can jump after I get Bucky across. Or I can swing back and get you, your choice," Sarah mutters. She jumps onto the railing and Bucky looks at her like she's nuts.

"You're crazy!" he yells at her.

"Natalie that cord will break!" Steve shouts.

"The hell it will," Sarah snaps. She tightens her grip on Bucky and swings across. The tie between the catwalks falls to the fire filled abyss below as they swing over. Sarah deposits Bucky on the catwalk with a smirk. Steve gets ready to jump. Sarah realizes he's going to miss the catwalk by a foot. She swings out on the line and catches Steve. They swing back across and he pulls them onto the catwalk.

"You should have just had be get you," she mutters as she severs the line.

"Let's get going." The explosions pick up and Sarah stumbles as the grating behind her blows up. She feels the small bits embed in her calf but remains silent. She limps behind Bucky and Cap. They make it outside and to the meeting point. With the high jacked tank and truck for the badly hurt, they march for safety.

"You all right ma'am?" Dum Dum Dugan asks Sarah as he marches next to the blond. Sarah's limp has become more noticeable over the last half-hour of walking.

"I'm fine." Bucky glances at her legs to see the blood soaking through her pants.

"Steve, she's hurt," Bucky tells the Captain. Steve stops the procession to check on Sarah. The wounded needed a rest anyway.

"Steve, I'm fine, seriously," Sarah barks at him. Steve asks silent forgiveness before he tackles Sarah to the ground and pins her there. Bucky cuts the pant legs open to reveal metal bits embedded in both calves, but mostly in the left.

"Medic!" Bucky shouts over his shoulder.

"When did you get hurt?" Steve questions.

"When the factory was blowing up," she answers simply. "Shards of the catwalk got in my legs. I was going to deal with it when we rested later tonight."

"Natalie, infection," Steve states as a counter argument.

"Not possible with me," she retorts. A medic comes in and removes the shrapnel from her legs. Bucky and the medic wrap her legs in bandages before Steve lets her up. The medic tries to get her on one of the transports but the woman refuses with a steady glare at him. The group marches on, before nightfall her leg is healed but she doesn't tell anyone.

* * *

When they arrive at the camp, cheers are heard from all around. Peggy hugs Sarah when the brunette meets her.

"You're late," Peggy says to Steve. Steve shows the damaged transmitter.

"I couldn't call my ride." Howard hurries through the crowd to Sarah. He'd become her unspoken guardian. He notes the bandages on her legs but she shakes her head at him.

"Come on," Howard says putting an arm around her. Sarah leans into him and they walk to her tent. He unwraps the bandages and checks the skin over. Sarah tells him about the three pieces still lodged in her calf and he looks at her nervously before cutting the skin to get them out. He wraps that leg in bandages again and hands her new pants.

"Thanks Howard," Sarah says honestly.

"No word from the future?" he asks. She shakes her head. "I'll find a way. How was your trip?"

"It was fine Howard." Sarah leans back on her cot and puts an arm over her head.

"What's wrong?" Howard crouches next to her as the teen stares at the top of the tent. "You can't be that bored."

"I miss my family," Sarah answers. "I mean, for them it could be days with me gone compared to years here. I've been away from my family for five months here, just got back from a two and a half month trip back home. I can barely remember their faces anymore." She rubs her eyes tired. "The stress is getting to me. Maybe I'm not cut out to be an Avenger after all."

"An Avenger?" Howard muses.

"Yeah, it's a group of superheroes that work together in the future. Steve's one of them," Sarah tells him. "I've been announced as a coming member. Sorry Howard, I shouldn't have to dump all this on you. You're busy enough. I'm sure you have some work to do." Howard narrows his eyes for a moment. He grabs the chair across the tent and sits down next to the cot.

"Tell me about your family."

"Howard, you know I can't do that."

"I mean what they look like, what they act like. You don't have to tell me full names." Sarah shrugs, she needs to tell somebody. Sarah sits up, crossing her legs and putting a hand to her jaw.

"Where should I start?"

"Your parents."

"No major changes with Steve," Sarah answers looking at the genius. "His hair tends to be a bit messier at times, he looks the same, but he's got less of a stick shoved up his ass than now. I suppose Tony and Clint made that happen," Sarah muses with a smile. "He's really nice. Always looking out for me and making sure I'm happy. I almost died once; I've never seen him so heartbroken before."

"Died?" Howard questions.

"Story for another time, Howard. My mom, she's a lot like Peggy I guess. But Mom's got a variant of the super soldier serum in her. Her hair is a bit longer than her shoulders, a beautiful shade of red, and she's got brilliant green eyes. She's stern, a spy by nature, but she's a good mom. I'm pretty sure she single handedly got one of my uncles to be a substitute teacher at school for my first few weeks there. She's a good lady," Sarah finishes.

"You mentioned a brother once."

"SJ, he was 13 when I left. He looks like a carbon copy of Steve, just younger and smaller, a bit thinner. His hair is a little longer too. Everyone compares him to me, it angers him greatly. He hasn't had the training I've had," Sarah explains. "Then there's Tony. The charismatic one. Most people love and hate Tony at the same time, just something about him. But he's had a rough life so I can understand his attitude. Pepper, how she can stand him is beyond me. I swear, I've never seen a woman so frustrated in my life."

"Not even when I blew up half a lab and Peggy tried to kill me?" Howard questions.

"Pepper makes that look like a slap on the wrist." There's a knock on Sarah's door. "Who is it?"

"It's Peggy, Natalie. Colonel Phillips wants to see you." Sarah sighs and climbs off the bed. Howard opens the door for her and Peggy smiles softly at her. "I've got to pack up my gear. As do you Howard. We're returning to London." Howard nods and heads for his tent. Sarah walks across the compound to Colonel Phillips' planning tent. Sarah steps in and looks at the Colonel as he stands at the table with Steve, Bucky, Dugan, and a few other men.

"Agent Rushman, what took you so long to clean up?" Phillips inquires as she steps up to the table.

"Just taking out more metal shards, sir," Sarah answers flatly. "Carter told me you wished to see me, sir."

"Yes I do. I do not believe you've been officially introduced to these men," Phillips says looking at the men who for the most part shake their heads. "This is Agent Natalie Rushman, one of our best. Rushman, this is Corporal Timothy Dugan, US army. James Falsworth of the British military. Jim Morita of the US Army. Gabe Jones, US Army. Jacques Dernier of the French Military. I believe you already know the Captain and Sergeant Barnes."

"Pleasure to finally know all of your names," Sarah says taking a minute to shake their hands. She had marched next to these men but they rarely talked. It was easier to walk and be silent than walk and talk.

"You all are shipping back to London where your new orders are waiting for you. Agent Rushman will take you to your sleeping quarters for the night. The guest one next to your quarters, Agent," Phillips says. Sarah nods knowing where to go. "Get a good night's rest. Stark flies you back at 0530. Hit the mess tent before you go to your quarters." Sarah nods and motions for the men to follow her.

"So, more metal?" Steve asks nervously.

"It was deeper in Steve. Howard took it out for me. I'm fine," Sarah says glancing over her shoulder at the older man. Bucky opens the mess hall doors for her and Sarah smiles at him kindly. Sarah hands the men trays and picks one up herself. After a healthy, or in some eyes unhealthy, meal of army food, Sarah leads the group toward their quarters to rest.

"Ma'am," Falsworth says, "why are you in the military exactly?"

"Runs in the family. I have talents," Sarah mutters. She points to the empty large tent. "You all should be comfortable in there. Barnes, you should really go see a medic."

"I ain't going to no medic," he snaps. Sarah glares at him. "No." Sarah rolls her eyes, grabs the man's arm and pins it behind his back. She muscles him into the tent and shoves him onto a bed. She rolls his pant let up to look at his leg that he's been limping on. After a few minutes, she stands up and leaves the tent.

"I'm staying away from her," Gabe comments.

"I would," Steve says. "You okay Bucky?"

"Yeah, fine. What's her issue?" Bucky asks.

"She's homesick," Steve says hearing the door in the tent next to them slam shut. "Uh, I'll be back in a little bit. Gonna go change." Steve does change, but he makes a detour. He knocks on the tent door.

"Who is it?" Sarah's voice calls.

"It's Steve. Can we talk?" Sarah opens the door and looks up at her father. "What's wrong Natalie? You're so much different than back at the training camp." Sarah grounds her teeth for a moment. "Natalie."

"The only member of my family that I remember clearly is my dad. I want to go home but I can't. So Steve, if you want to continue pushing me, I'm going to knock you flat on your ass," Sarah snaps.

"We're family. You told me that back at Camp."

"Yeah, well, we sure as hell don't act like it. Just go hang out with the boys, I'm sure they're better company," Sarah mutters slamming the door in his face. She slides down the door and buries her face in her knees. Steve doesn't go into the next tent, he finds Howard who tells him where Peggy is. Peggy tells Steve she'll deal with Sarah. When Peggy tries to enter the tent, she finds it impossible to open the door.

"Sarah. Sarah, open up," Peggy orders. Peggy hears nothing. She manages the door a half an inch to find Sarah passed out in front of the doorway. The girl is deathly still and pale. "Steve!" Steve emerges from the boys' tent. "She's passed out in front of the door. She doesn't look good. Can you get in and I'll get Howard and the doctor?" Steve nods and pushes the door open. The blond picks up the passed out agent and lays her down on the cot. He puts his hand onto her forehead to feel heat there. Peggy returns with the frantic Howard and the camp head doctor. Steve steps back and watches as they examine her.

"Peggy, order the plane fueled now. Rogers, get your men packed and to the plane. Doc, get a stretcher. We need some of the tech back at base." Peggy hurries from the room with Steve exiting behind her. The doctor runs out quickly and Howard throws all of Sarah's things into her bag for her. Fingertips touch his shoulder causing him to look up at her.

"Sarah, hey, how do you feel?" he asks.

"Like I'm burning from the inside out," she replies.

"I'll get you fixed. Sleep." She nods and falls asleep relatively easily. When Doc gets back with the stretcher, Steve is back. He moves Sarah onto the stretcher and with Bucky at the other end, carries Sarah to the waiting plane. Peggy takes Sarah and hers things to the plane running into Phillips on the way. Stark runs to the plane with his gear and throws it on an empty seat.

"She strapped in?" Howard asks.

"Yes," Steve says.

"Hold on." The plane spurs to life and Howard hurries to take off. "Peggy, monitor her fever."

"She looked fine earlier," Gabe comments.

"Not everything is as they appear," Steve says. He runs his fingers through Sarah's hair. The black hair starts to fade away rapidly. It breaks off in his hand like a wig revealing short blond hair.

"She was wearing a wig?" Bucky scoffs.

"Peggy?" Howard shoots back.

"Her hair, it's not black no more," Peggy says.

"Steve," a soft whimper comes, "don't leave again." Steve puts his hands on both sides of Sarah's face.

"I'm not going to. I promise." Steve strokes her hair softly. The Howling Commandos watch the scene silently. Peggy uses a rag and water from a canteen to cool Sarah's brow. Steve smoothes her hair to the side and keeps one hand tangled in hers the whole flight. Phillips watches on silently from across the plane. Bucky leaves Dugan's side to sit on the floor next to Cap in an attempt to keep his friend sane as he worries over the agent.

"Ten minutes," Howard says from the front of the plane. "They have a truck waiting for us there to take her to the hospital." Sarah's face scrunches up and her eyes flutter open.

"Dad," she cries looking at Steve, "you can't leave me here. Don't go Daddy. Don't leave me." Tears fall down Sarah's pale face.

"Shush," Steve whispers softly bending to bring his face closer to hers, "I'm right here. I won't leave you, don't worry. I'm not going anywhere, Sarah." Sarah's eyes don't register that he used her real name, but Peggy notices. The female blond grabs her father's jacket tightly in her hands. Steve strokes her cheek softly. "Peggy, take the straps off." Peggy does and watches as Steve pulls Sarah into his lap. The teen pulls herself into a ball on his lap and drifts mentally in her fevered state.

"Steve, are you sure posing as her dad is a good idea?" Bucky asks.

"Who said anything about posing," Steve mutters.

"And her name is Natalie, not Sarah."

"Sarah's her first name, but she goes by her middle name," Peggy tells him in a smooth lie.

"Final approach," Howard announces. The plane lands in England. Steve carries Sarah to the truck and rides with Howard and Peggy to the hospital. Bucky takes the gear for Steve to their rooms. At the hospital, the trio gets the news from the doctor.

"Her blood volume is low, which is causing a low blood pressure. I'd say three pints are missing. She's in danger of shock setting in. We've tried to give her blood but her body didn't even get it. She threw it up, how I don't know the systems aren't connected that way. It's like her body rejected it. There's nothing we can do for her," the doctor tells them. The trio is quiet as they think it over. Steve looks at Howard and Peggy suddenly.

"Doc, can you give us a moment?" Steve asks. The doctor nods and leaves the room.

"What is it Steve?" Peggy asks.

"Howard, do you still have the vita-ray chamber?" Steve inquires.

"It needs repairs, but yes."

"Start repairs on it. Sarah, she's my blood right? What about if the serum is effecting her someway because she didn't get the same process as me? I think if we give her a dose of vita rays, it might stabilize her. Until then, she's rejected normal blood, so we give her mine. Peggy, get a nurse and meet me in Sarah's room," Steve says heading for the door.

"Steve, this is crazy," Peggy says trying to catch up to the soldier.

"It's the best shot we have. Please Peggy. I feel responsible for her. I mean, my head is fuzzy on the details right now, but she's my family and I have to take care of her. Just please?" Steve begs. Howard and Peggy nod in agreement. Peggy goes to get the nurse and doctor while Howard starts to force water down Steve's throat so he won't pass out.

"I'll let you give two pints," the doctor says, "but only because of the circumstances. We'll try it first." Steve nods and lets the nurse take his blood. They string the bag up next to Sarah and watch the blood go into her. After her color starts to return, Steve gives another pint and lays down for a rest. Howard and Peggy force over a gallon of water on him followed by cookies to keep sugar in his body. After a patient two hours, Sarah opens her eyes to reveal her complexion and temperature normal.

"Hey, you look a lot better," Steve says with a smile.

"Feel a lot better, Dad." She then realizes what she said. "Steve."

"Don't say a thing. My heads fuzzy on the details, I won't ask." Sarah reminds herself to slap Loki later.

"We figure your serum might be degrading," Howard says next to Steve. "But with a transfusion every so often, you should be good. Peggy is already making the paperwork for the transfusions up. I have men working on fixing the vita-ray capsule. You'll be fine."

"Good to hear, Howard." The doctor clears her and gives Peggy standing orders to watch Sarah closely. Peggy and Sarah retire to their London quarters for the night. In the morning, Sarah walks beside Peggy in a tight and uncomfortable skirt walking toward where Steve was waiting.

"Could you look any less uncomfortable?" Peggy questions.

"I miss my trousers," Sarah complains.

"How can you survive in trousers alone? Don't they have rules about wearing skirts?" Peggy asks.

"Women can dress however they want in my time really," Sarah answers in a hushed voice. "Well, Americans and most western nations. The middle east, not so much." The pair walks through the base toward their destinations. Sarah splits away from Peggy at her destination and enters a separate room. A tall gruff looking man stands there in a Canadian uniform. He looks over at Sarah when she enters the room.

"Can I help you ma'am?" he asks.

"Are you James Howlett?" Sarah inquires. "The Canadian?" Okay, she knows who he is, she's just putting on a show.

"Yes ma'am." Sarah holds her hand out and he takes it firmly.

"Natalie Rushman, pleasure to meet you, Mr. Howlett. I'll be coordinating any missions you do within our division."

"Pleasure to meet you ma'am. I heard you had black hair," he states.

"Yes well, a great wig can work marvels," she answers. "If you'll follow me, Howard has a few gifts for your first mission, you won't get them until tomorrow but he'd like for you to come in to make sure you can use them. Who knows, you might run into the Captain."

"Captain America," James scoffs. "I'm sorry ma'am, but he looks like just another poster boy."

"He's not," Sarah chuckles leading him out the door and through the base. Steve looks up at her as she passes her and the General. He says something to Peggy who nods and goes off to make phone calls. Steve jogs up to the pair.

"Natalie, I was wondering if you'd join the boys and I at the pub tonight," Steve says keeping pace with the blond.

"Having a party, Steve?" Sarah inquires.

"Got to ask the boys a question. I'm sure Bucky would like the company," Steve continues. "And I would be a little more comfortable with you there." Sarah thinks about it as they enter the armory.

"Only if Mr. Canada here can come," Sarah says motioning to James Howlett. "I'm sure he'd like a little beer."

"I wouldn't impose," James insists.

"Sir, it would be no issue at all," Steve says. Steve looks at Sarah as they near Howard. "Please?"

"I'll come Steve. Now, Steve, introduce yourself to him," Sarah orders motioning to James.

"Captain Steve Rogers." Steve shakes James's hand.

"James Howlett, Canadian special operations, they call me the Canadian," James says.

"They call me Captain America," Steve counters. "Listen, Sarah, I'll see you at the pub. Peggy will bring you. I have to go round up Bucky. Who knows what type of trouble he's getting himself into?" Steve goes to leave but stops catching the flying piece of metal before it hits Howlett.

"Evans! You watch what the hell you're doing, got it?!" Howard yells at a technician. Steve hands the piece of metal to Howard and walks away.

"He really isn't a poster boy," James scoffs.

"He's a good man," Sarah says offhandedly. "Howard Stark, this is James Howlett. How are you today Howard?"

"I am fine. You look better than last night. Fever gone still?"

"Howard, I am fine. Now, if you'll excuse me gentlemen, I'm going to go find Peggy and beg her to let me put my trousers back on," Sarah mutters walking away. James looks at Howard.

"She's hates the female uniform," Howard tells him. "Follow me."

"So, how'd she get this high up in the military?" James asks as they head for a table.

"Well, she showed up with knowledge and talents no girl should have. She's Agent Carter's equal on the American side. My family and hers have been close for some time now," Howard explains as he hands James a new gun. "Think of Cap's skills but in a girl who has a little more experience than him."

"That's an explosive mixture, Mr. Stark."

"Don't I know it." The two men share a laugh. That night, Sarah walks into the pub in a floor length blue dress with a silk wrap to cover her arms. She walks through the pub causing wolf whistles from the service men.

"You look amazing," Bucky says upon seeing her.

"You should see Peggy," Sarah chuckles. "It's a pleasure to see you alive and well Sergeant Barnes."

"Please, call me Bucky," Bucky insists. Bucky holds out his hand and Sarah takes it. He lifts his hand to his mouth and kisses her hand softly. "So, do you think Steve is crazy for wanting to take out all the HYDRA bases on his own?"

"He can do it, I know he can."

"What are you, psychic? Are you going to tell me my future?" Bucky laughs.

"You will one day serve a government agency called SHIELD, and that is all I will tell you of your future. For I, Natalie Rushman, am the Watcher, she who watches the future!" Sarah jokes. Bucky laughs not taking a word seriously. "You remind me of someone I know back home."

"Is that a good or a bad thing?" Bucky asks.

"Good. He watched out for me. He's my dad's best friend from when my dad served. He acts like a guardian toward me a lot. I miss him," Sarah admits as Bucky escorts her to a table.

"What happened to him?" Bucky asks.

"He's serving right now," Sarah answers bluntly. Bucky nods as the barkeep brings him a drink and Sarah a glass of wine. The two soon become good friends.

Months later, when Bucky falls from the train, it's all Howard can do to prevent Sarah from trying to drink herself under. But just like Steve, she can't get drunk. James Howlett even notices as she sends him on one of his last missions on the European front. It had been two years since they had started working together. Steve gave her another transfusion, the two of them silent as they thought about Bucky. Steve stays with Sarah in her shared flat in London with Peggy that night. Steve, still holding a bottle of liquor, falls onto the bed.

"Thank you for letting me stay the night," Steve says looking at Sarah as the blond pulls on her bed shirt. "I can't stay in the barracks." Steve shared a room with Bucky there.

"No problem." Sarah settles down next to Steve, his arms around her as she hides her face in his neck. "I miss him Steve."

"So do I but we still have each other." Sarah sobs into Steve's shoulder the rest of the night.

* * *

**Oh good god, I read this and went "WHAT WAS I THINKING?!" I don't like this chapter but if I rewrite it, I'll have to rewrite everything and that's way too much to do. If you hate it, don't feel bad cuz so do I.**

**I don't care if you review for this one. I hate the chapter. **


	19. Back to the Present

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE AVENGERS OR MARVEL!**

**Sarge: I hate time travel. **

**Tony: You do? Let's see here, MY FATHER IS VISITING ME IN THE FREAKING FUTURE! WHAT DID YOU DO?!**

**Howard: Son, that's now way to treat a woman. **

**Tony: You shut up!**

**Sarge: *hits Tony's shoulder* **

**Tony: That hurt. **

**Sarge: You deserved it. Now, Howard will be back in his own time by the end of the chapter. **

**Tony: Good.**

**Howard: Son, I don't approve of child abuse but, *Howard punches Tony* at least you could act like you're happy to see me. **

**Tony: Don't push it old man. **

**Sarge: I don't own anything. I freaking out of here before these two start WWIII.**

* * *

_Oi, you! Yeah you! Here is the code to figuring out if you're in the past or present in this chapter. _

_PAST: ITALICS! THIS LETTERING_

Present: Plain lettering.

* * *

The Avengers quinjet had landed hours ago at the prison that housed Justin Hammer. This new Sarah was battling the drones and hired guns right next to her father.

"Just like old times," she laughs as she uses a drone's body to flip in the air and smash into a few men. She breaks five wrists, ten ribs, two arms, three legs, one skull, and one man's collarbone in the space of two minutes.

"I don't remember you being so precise!" Steve retorts.

"I learned from you!" Sarah counters as she tosses a shield in Thor's direction. Sarah catches Natasha as the spy comes sailing by her. She sets Natasha on the ground and leaps at the attacker chasing her mother. She tackles the mercenary and strikes his spine, paralyzing him from the waist down. "You all right, Tasha?"

"Since when do you call me Tasha?" Natasha demands.

"January 1988," Sarah answers as she smashes a metal pipe from the fence of the prison into the head of another mercenary before sending it through the core of a drone. "We were in Germany. Then in June '90 in France, followed by '92 in Venice, oh and let us not forget '94 in Russia. No offense, but I'm never going back there again!"

"God, would you shut up and fight!" Clint shouts.

"Hey, Hammer is getting away!" Tony shouts. Sarah's head snaps up and she spots Hammer being escorted to a truck outside the prison. Sarah sprints forward, plowing through the enemy. She slams into Hammer full force. She hears a sickening crack and smiles as Hammer wails in pain. She knocks Hammer's men unconscious before dragging Hammer back into the prison as the others finished off the drones.

"YOU ARE CRUEL!" Hammer shouts at Sarah.

"Go live through WWII to modern day, it happens!" Sarah counters. She walks back toward her family. "Can we go now?"

"Why in such a rush?" Tony asks.

"Because, I'd like to erase a good fifty years from my memory so your Sarah can be semi-normal!" she snaps. Steve sets his hand on the white haired version of his daughter. "Stop it Steve."

"No, I'm your father."

"Not since I landed in New York back then," Sarah snaps at him. "Can we just go?" Steve nods and walks to the jet silently. A shot rings out suddenly and Steve watches as the white haired version of his daughter grasps her chest. Steve lunges forward to prevent her from hitting the ground. He lowers her down as Tony goes to deal with the problem. Steve runs his hand through her hair as she bleeds out.

"I'm cold, Steve," she stammers.

"I know baby." She reaches for her coat pocket and pulls out a piece of paper.

"Past, changing," she whispers softly. "Memories fading. You do it." Steve watches silently as the white haired version disappears before his eyes along with the piece of paper. Natasha helps him off the ground.

"Now how do we know what time to go back to?" Natasha asks him.

"Steve, we got the date," Fury calls from the helicarrier. "Seems Howard had a file made, so did myself and Peggy. Just got a notice on the date to go back to." Steve nods and walks to the quinjet. The memories of a white haired Sarah disappear. He quickly joins the team and flies back to the mountains. Between them, they decide that two people can go back. They pick Steve and Tony.

"We'll be back," Tony says putting an arm around Steve's shoulder as the blond wills them back into the past. They disappear in a flash of light and another light appears in the room spilling out three people.

* * *

_Sarah comes in after the main attack force against the HYDRA base. She'd been helping a wounded soldier get to cover. She doesn't like Steve suicide mission. She has a feeling this mission is the one he disappears on. She rushes through the halls. Dugan tells her where Steve had headed. The blond runs through the halls in time to see Steve jump onto the plane and Colonel Phillips struggle to keep the car from going over the edge. The back wheels go over the edge as Sarah runs toward them._

_"Help Agent Carter off," Colonel Phillips orders. _

_"Not necessary," Sarah says grabbing the front of the car and pulling. With that added boost from Steve's blood, she drags the car back onto the pavement and looks up at the Colonel. "So Colonel, mind giving me a ride back through the hanger?" _

_"Get in." _

_"How'd you do that?" Peggy asks. _

_"That blood transfusion. Little extra strength for three weeks. Nothing major." The trio enters into the flight center where Jim Morita sits at the radio station. The trio waits patiently for any word from Steve. _

_"Come in this is Captain Rogers, do you read me?" Steve's voice comes over the radio in a panic. Peggy and Sarah move in unison toward Morita. _

_"Captain Rogers what is your-," Morita is cut off by Peggy pushing him to the side. _

_"Steve is that you? Are you alright?" Peggy asks. _

_"Peggy! Schmidt's dead," Steve reports. Sarah falls to her knees next to Peggy and puts her hand on Peggy's knee. _

_"What about the plane?" Peggy asks. _

_"That's a little bit tougher to explain." _

_"Give me your coordinates I'll find you a safe landing site," Peggy insists. _

_"There's not going to be a safe landing. But I can try to force it down." Phillips signals for Morita to leave. He looks at Sarah who shakes her head fiercely, the tears already on her face. _

_"I'll get Howard on the line. He'll know what to do," Peggy tries. _

_"There's not enough time," Steve counters. "This thing is moving too fast and it's headed toward New York. I gotta put her in the water." _

_"Please don't do this," Peggy says frantically. "We have time. We can work it out." _

_"Right now I'm in the middle of nowhere. If I wait any longer a lot of people are going to die," Steve says. "Peggy, this is my choice." Heartbreak covers Peggy's face. "Is Natalie there?" _

_"I'm here," Sarah says softly her voice breaking. _

_"Sarah, you be careful. I trust Howard to take care of you." The tears in Sarah's eyes start to fall. _

_"I'm sure he will. I'll be careful. I love you Steve. Be safe, please," Sarah begs. _

_"You know I will be. You look after Peggy for me. And make sure the boys behave and get home to their families. Live," Steve tells her. _

_"You got it." Sarah puts an arm around Peggy as the agent barely holds it together._

_"Peggy," Steve says._

_"I'm here." _

_"I'm gonna need a rain check on that dance." _

_"All right, a week next Saturday at the Stork Club," Peggy says. _

_"You got it." _

_"Eight o'clock on the dot, don't you dare be late. Understood?" _

_"You know, I still don't know how to dance," Steve says. _

_"I'll show you how, just be there." _

_"We'll have the band play something slow. I'd hate to step on your-," Steve says before the radio cuts out. _

_"Steve? Steve? Steve?" Peggy calls but there is no reply as the tears stream down her face. Sarah pulls Peggy in close and comforts her friend. Sarah walks out to the hallway after a bit to see Phillips. _

_"There's a transport waiting at the gates to take you, Agent Carter, and the Howling Commandos back to the England. I'll be there in the morning. It's your job to inform Stark." Sarah nods and collects her team. They land in England hours later. Sarah, still in her mission clothes, walks down to Howard's lab as Falsworth and Dugan take Peggy to her desk. Sarah opens the lab door and walks inside to see Howard working on something. He stares at her messy appearance; she never came back from missions looking like a wreck. _

_"What is it Natalie?" Howard asks. _

_"He, he's gone Howard," Sarah cries. Her legs bend and Howard hurries to catch her before she can hit the ground. "I knew it was going to happen but it hurts so bad. Cap, he piloted Schmidt's plane into the Arctic." Tears gather in the corner of his eyes as he holds the weeping woman. Howard refuses to cry though. After a few minutes, he moves her to a chair and sits with her. When Phillips arrives, he informs the Colonel he has a private ship waiting for the rescue effort. It would take a day to get the crew and supplies. _

_"Take Sarah with you. She's released from the agency into your custody," Phillips informs Howard. Howard nods and tells Sarah. Sarah packs her things and says goodbye to Peggy and the boys. They make plans to meet up in a few months. Victory in Europe day hits and finds Howard and Sarah in the Arctic looking for the plane. Howard looks up at the waves in front of them. _

_"Just keep looking," Howard tells the man that tries to discourage him from searching for Steve. The door to the bridge opens to reveal Sarah wrapped in layers. She walks over to Howard's side and lets him put an arm around her. "We'll find him." _

_"Thank you, Howard. You are a very kind man." She kisses his cheek and turns into his warmth for comfort. But they never find him, Sarah knew they wouldn't. SHIELD was formed in the coming months. Nick Fury, a crazy SOB from Sarah and Howard's days in the war came to them about the idea. Sarah encouraged Howard to get it started. With Howard's encouraging, Fury was put in charge. By the anniversary of Steve's disappearance, Sarah and the Howling Commandos had the memorial built for Steve in Central Park. Peggy and Sarah would keep in touch, frequently visiting when they could. Then, every anniversary of Steve's death, the Commandos, Fury, Peggy, Logan (until he disappeared), Howard, and Sarah swore they would gather at the old bar and have a few rounds on Steve. Sarah stayed with Howard as his personal assistant. Many rumors circulated that they were having an affair of some sort but they weren't true. Howard never touched her that way. During this time, Sarah would introduce Howard to Maria. Maria was a regular of a restaurant they frequented and she also saw Maria at the salon. So, she introduced Maria to Howard to move things along. For two years, this life-style went on._

* * *

_"Sarah," Howard says two years after Steve had disappeared. He knocks on the door to the girl's room. "Are you awake yet?" It's early in the morning, only one in the morning but this had become a frequent thing of theirs. The door opens to reveal the tired blond. By the look of her clothes, she hadn't been able to sleep and decided to stay up all night in the clothes for tomorrow, trousers this time. He knows she won't be sleeping again and raises an eyebrow to ask which nightmare._

_"Rescue," she answers without him having to ask. Howard nods sadly and leads her down the hall to the study she used. Mr. Jarvis brings them some tea and fresh chocolate chip cookies. The butler knew his employer's habits very well. _

_"Thank you Jarvis," Sarah says looking at the older man. _

_"My pleasure, miss." Sarah sits down on the couch snuggled against Howard's side. This had become routine as well. Howard rubs her arm with one hand while kissing the top of her head. He moves his other hand to stroke her hair as flashes of the war pass in front of their eyes. Howard looks down at the young face next to him, she was only twenty, he told himself. He had only learned her true age last year when he asked. He felt a bit guilty about letting her work in the war now. _

_There's a knock on the door and Jarvis appears in the doorway. _

_"There is someone to see you, sir," Edwin Jarvis reports. _

_"Show them in," Howard replies. Jarvis nods and closes the door. A few minutes later, the door opens again and Jarvis holds it wide to reveal two people not dressed for this century. Sarah's eyes widen at the sight of the one in the lead. She jumps away from the couch and into the blonde's safe protective arms. _

_"Daddy, I've missed you." _

_"Oh sweetie, I was so worried about you," Steve whispers holding her up. "You sure have grown." _

_"It's been four years since I got here," Sarah informs him. Steve shakes his head slowly and hugs her again. He's just glad she's safe. _

_"Hey, what about me?" Tony demands. Sarah tackles him in a hug. _

_"I missed you too, Tony." The two adult Avengers smile at each other as they hug the blond in unison._

_"Sarah, I'll fetch your things for you," Howard says standing up and leaving the room. _

_"You live with Dad?" Tony scoffs. _

_"He took me in Tony. I came to him for help," Sarah defends. "What took you so long?" _

_"Well, there was a fight in the present and then we got the date we were supposed to come back to from files left by Fury, Dad, and Peggy," Tony answers. Steve brushes Sarah's now long hair back over her shoulder. In the two years since she had let it start growing again, her hair was half way down her back now. _

_"You're so grown up," he murmurs. "And your hair is so long. But you're still going to high school." _

_"Fine. And I'm getting a haircut!" Howard returns with Sarah's future bag and the one she keeps her uniforms and one spare dress for formal events when she goes traveling. Steve takes one bag while Tony takes the other bag. _

_"I'll leave Tony a message about this date as well as with Peggy and Fury. Behave yourself," Howard orders. Sarah hugs him tightly. "I put my research on your problem in the future bag. Good luck," he whispers in her ear. _

_"Thank you for everything, Howard." Howard smiles as they separate. "Maria?" _

_"I'll tell her you got called away. Nick will take care of the papers. I'll have a fund with your money put in my name and saved for you. Hopefully Tony won't spend it," Howard jokes. Howard turns to Steve. "Take care of her Steve." _

_"I will. Goodbye, Howard," Steve says sincerely. Tony looks at Howard. _

_"I'll see you later," Tony says, "but for the one time I didn't say it, bye Dad." _

_"Take care of yourself son." Tony nods. Steve wraps his arms around his daughter and grabs Tony's wrist. Steve gives a final nod to Howard before sending them forward to the present. After a bright flash, Howard is left alone. He walks over to his phone and starts calling everyone he needs to call. He writes a letter to Peggy as well. By ten that morning, all his plans and arrangements are in play. He reaches for a picture on his desk and smiles softly. It's a happy picture, one that Dugan had barely been able to get the one day they had regular camera around. Sarah has an arm wrapped around Howard's shoulders as the inventor talks idly with Phillips to his side. Peggy Carter is leaning against Sarah looking exhausted while Steve tries to grab Bucky who is causing mischief again. Oh the memories they had. _

* * *

"SARAH!" SJ shouts as the light fades in the room. He throws his arms around his sister and nearly topples them over if it hadn't been for Steve. "You're bigger!" SJ steps away to examine her but Natasha blocks his view. The red head clings to her daughter tightly.

"I was so worried about you! Look at you, all grown up and so beautiful!" Natasha sobs as she looks her daughter over. "How long?"

"Four years more or less," Sarah answers. The crowd is silent as that number hits them. Sarah's an adult now. Sarah examines the crowd and searches for Aaron. She spots him immediately and pushes her way to him. She grabs his collar and drags him to her. Her lips collide with his. The passion in the kiss is intense, so intense that Aaron hadn't been expecting it. He cups the back of her head with one hand and puts the other on her lower back drawing her closer. She wraps her around his neck and deepens the kiss.

"Get a room," SJ and Sam say causing Luke and Bucky to slap the pair. Sarah draws away from Aaron with a smile.

"I've missed you more than you know," Sarah whispers.

"I'm just glad you're back. You're not too different. You look lovely," Aaron tells her.

"Were you truly there four years?" Thor asks. Sarah turns and nods in confirmation.

"I'll vouch for her," Loki says leaning against the wall. "You never took that necklace off once. Yet you never called for help."

"Oh shut up. If I had asked you to send me back to now you would have been in a coma for twenty years and you know it," Sarah shoots back.

"What years?" Clint asks.

"Got there the day before Dad was shipped to boot camp. I served with him, Bucky, Logan, and Peggy. I knew Fury too. Heard about Mom. Anyway, time travel is really tiring. Can I go to sleep now?" she asks. Everyone clears the way toward her room. Sarah takes her bags from Steve and Tony and walks off toward her room. Ava takes one bag and hugs her as they walk toward the room. Aaron asks Steve something before following Sarah and Ava. Ava lets Aaron in once he's changed into sleeping clothes. Sarah comes out and sees Aaron on her bed.

"I'm going to stay up an hour with some of the other kids. I'll be back then," she says to Sarah and Aaron. The pair nods and Ava turns the lights on low. The two sit on her bed facing each other.

"Your dad said I can stay with you tonight," Aaron says as he brushes strands of Sarah's hair behind her ear.

"I wouldn't have it any other way." Aaron leans forward and kisses her softly. His tongue traces her lips softly before pushing inside. She wraps her arms around his neck as they move up her bed. She moves so she's kneeling on top of him with his arms around her waist.

"Four years without you," she says when they separate for a second. "You have no clue how much I've wanted to be in your arms. Seems to be a family trait, falling in love at work," she says with a smile. An hour later, Ava returns to find the pair curled up on the bed together.

* * *

In the morning, after a family breakfast, Fury asks for the Avengers secondary team and some of the kids to stay behind. Steve and Tony stay behind as well since both of the Rogers children and Barton's nephew were named.

"Kids, you're all receiving training right now. As such, I'm assigning you a trainer from the secondary team. Rhodey, you're team leader for the secondary team, you start," Fury orders.

"Power Man, I'll be training you every time I'm in New York," Rhodey informs the superhero. "Bucky, you're next."

"Well, I chose Peter," Bucky states. "Sorry Sarah, but Fury said I couldn't train you."

"That's fine Bucky."

"Steve Junior, you will be spending some weekends up at the Institute training with me," Logan informs the teen.

"Dad, he'll kill me!" SJ claims looking at Steve.

"No he won't," Steve insists.

"I'm Carol Danvers, better known as Ms. Marvel. And Sarah, I'll be training you," Carol says.

"It'll be a pleasure."

"I'm Jennifer Walters and I'll be training Talon over there," Jen says pointing to Laura.

"She-Hulk, oh, this is going to be fun," Laura laughs.

"Aaron, I'll be training you officially but until the baby comes," Bobbi says putting a hand on her womb, "your uncle will be doing the majority of your training."

"That's fine with me."

"Iron Fist," Hank Pym says looking at the teen, "you and I will be training. I will train with you every other Monday night."

"Tiger," Janet says, "I'm with you and you'll be training every other Monday that Iron Fist isn't."

"Lastly, Nova, I'll be training with you," Scott says. "Give you a real target."

"Nick," Steve says cautiously, "they're just kids."

"They also are superheroes, the people expect them to be there for the world," Nick counters.

"SJ hasn't been introduced yet. He doesn't need to be trained right now, can you give him some normalcy?!" Steve demands. SJ and Sarah exchange a look. This had been an argument in private for months now. They never thought much of it.

"Captain, leave," Fury orders.

"No I won't. Sarah and SJ are my kids and my responsibility. I let Sarah go on that mission; I knew she could handle herself. I know SJ can do the same, but he still has years of childhood to go through. Can't you give him those?" Steve snarls. "I have one child that had no childhood, are you going to take away the rest from another?" SJ tears out of the room quickly. Everyone turns to watch him go. Steve starts after him.

"No, Dad, I'll find him. Just stay," Sarah says getting up. "Fury, remember that little threat I gave you when you threatened to take away my military payments? Triple that threat and that's what I'll do to you if you don't sort this out. Just saying."

"Is that a threat young lady?" Fury snarls. Sarah whips out a pistol and shoots, the bullet lodging in the wall behind his head, before putting it back in the waist of her pants.

"Not a threat, fact," Sarah clarifies. The blond walks out of the room and everyone in the room breathes a little easier.

"When did she learn to do that?" Aaron asks.

"July 1943," James answers. "She pulled it on; who did she pull it on Steve?" James asks looking at his old pal.

"Uh, Dugan or Phillips I don't remember. Nope, it was Stark. Howard was being an ass that day," Steve recalls. "She scared the hell out of him. But it was a little entertaining."

"What did Dad do?" Tony asks.

"Oh, he was just socializing with some of the women," Bucky answers. "Unfortunately for him, he was drunk and got a little to touchy with one girl. Sarah sobered him up right quick."

* * *

Sarah walks through the hallways to the den. SJ is sitting next to the giant window curled up in a little ball. Sarah walks over slowly and kneels down next to him. Her fingers run through his hair as he hides his face in his knees.

"SJ, little bro, talk to me," Sarah pleads.

"I hate that they say that I have a chance at childhood and you don't. You have just as much right to having one as I do! Why can't they see that?" SJ demands. Sarah sighs and wraps her limbs around her baby brother. She places his head on her shoulder and he buries his face in her neck.

"Little brother, you need to understand something. There's an age difference between you and me. When I was found, I was 15. When we found you, I was already 16 and you were 13. You have four and a half more years until you're an adult. You have innocence left in you. You didn't go through the things I did at the Corporation's hands. You have a chance to have some normalcy. I was doomed to this lifestyle when I was born," Sarah whispers softly to him. "Little brother, live your childhood for the both of us."

"But you're still a kid!"

"No, not anymore SJ. SJ, I was gone four years, I'm twenty in my eyes. I'm sorry, little brother, but my childhood was taken from me a long time ago," Sarah tells him.

"It's not fair!" SJ starts crying against Sarah's neck. Sarah rocks her little brother slowly in her arms until he drifts off to sleep. She picks up her little brother and carries him through the lodge. Natasha raises an eyebrow as Sarah walks with him.

"He got upset and cried himself to sleep. I'll be in his room with him," Sarah tells her. She carries SJ to his lodge room. She sits down against the headboard and holds SJ in her arms silently. She sings softly to him, trying to cause him to drift off to sleep. She sighs as she feels his breathing even out some more and drift deeper into sleep.

"Sleep well, little brother." She closes her eyes and naps with him.

* * *

**Remember how I said that I hated the last chapter? I hate this one almost as much, just a little less. As you see, we're back in the present!**

**Ah yes, before I go, I had a question, I know it's similar to a previous one I've posted before. Who would like to see a little Howard Clone running around the place? (If you like the suggestion, name and who he looks up to as a parent would be nice.) **


	20. Back into the Flames

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE AVENGERS OR MARVEL!**

**Sarah: Good god, we're back in the frying pan. **

**Sarge: Oh shut it. **

**Deadpool: I didn't expect to be pulled into this story. Interesting. Very interesting. **

**Aaron: Touch Sarah and you die.**

**Deadpool: Yeah I know, not doing that. **

**Sarge: I don't own any anyone in this story other than my original characters! **

* * *

The first day of school is interesting to say the least. Sarah, with freshly cut hair, drives to school with Loki in the passenger seat reading a book about the modern world. She parks and retrieves their backpacks. The pair walks to the office where they pick up Loki's locker number and schedule. His locker is right next to Sarah's so there's no issue there.

"Sarah?" a voice questions. Sarah turns and sees Gwen there with MJ. MJ shrugs."What happened to you?"

"Very long story. Can you find Harry?" Sarah asks.

"Yeah, sure." Gwen runs off after glancing at Loki.

"Perhaps I should have used a charm on you," Loki says looking over at Sarah. "Why do you even come back to school?"

"It's a requirement. I'd rather not be here either."

"You're in the same boat as me," a voice says. The pair turns to see Aaron standing there in school clothes. "Uncle Clint says I have to finish school. Since I dropped out when I was in Junior year, I have to take it over. I have the same schedule as you two," he informs them.

"Clint claim custody?" Sarah asks.

"Oh yeah. It took him less than 24 hours for the paperwork to go through. How you doing, Lukas?"

"So you do remember that name," Loki remarks. "I am okay."

"Wow, who's the cutie?" Gwen asks returning with Harry while looking at Aaron.

"Hands off, he's mine," Sarah warns. Harry looks at her and his jaw drops. "I went on a little trip over the break and came back a few years older. Please don't make a big deal out of it," Sarah begs.

"You look like you're 21!" Harry accuses.

"Twenty, actually," Sarah answers. "Lukas, Aaron, these are Gwen and Harry. Gang, two of my housemates."

"Clint said for you to give me a ride home," Aaron tells Sarah holding out his phone.

"Does he think I'm a taxi service? Don't answer that. You're helping me get even with him when we get home," Sarah tells him as she shoulders her backpack.

"Rogers, Norling, Barton!" Phil barks causing all three to jump. The three in question turn and look at Coulson. "My office now."

"What did we do?" Loki asks.

"Hush, Lukas, best not ask questions. We'll see you in class." Sarah drags her boys to Coulson's office. Coulson closes the door and looks at them.

"The Avengers were called out on a mission this morning. They'll be gone for a few days at the least, a week at the most. Pepper is off in California right now and Bobbi went with the Avengers. Betty is in New Mexico visiting Jane. So, this means that you kids are on your own for a few days. As such, you'll have a shadow until they get back." The office door in his room opens and SJ walks through. "I can't keep an eye on him and neither can SHIELD right now. So he's your shadow. Behave and make sure SJ has things to do. He's got his school books from SHIELD and some notebooks to sketch in, just keep an eye on him."

"Got it Phil. Come on baby brother," Sarah says wrapping an arm around her nervous brother.

"Sis, I'm scared," SJ confesses.

"We'll be right here with you. You got that slips, Phil?" Sarah asks. Phil hands her the slips and Sarah smiles accepting them along with the tardy cards. They are four minutes late for first hour.

"Miss Rogers?" the teacher asks dumbfounded.

"Morning. Sorry we're late, last minute change of plans," Sarah explains and hands him the three tardy cards and the slip for this class. "This is Lukas Norling. He lives with my family. And this is Aaron Barton, also lives with the family. This guy is my little brother SJ. My parents are away for a while and we can't have him staying home alone while the other adults are at work so he's tagging along with me until my parents get back," Sarah explains smoothly. "I see you had four chairs added back where I sit, do you mind if they sit there with me?" Sarah asks.

"No problem. Welcome back, Miss Rogers. How was your trip?"

"Informative." The four take their spots and SJ starts doodling in a notebook.

"Why's SJ here?" Peter asks leaning over.

"Emergency mission and no one can watch him." SJ moves his desk next to Sarah's and she wraps an arm around her scared little brother. The next few classes go about as well as expected. Gym class was interesting, especially when SJ was allowed to play dodge ball. He felt normal for those minutes. At the end of the day, the four of them met at their lockers with the super crew, MJ, Gwen, Harry, and Flash (surprisingly).

"Sarah, if the four of you want to come over for dinner," Peter says, "I'm sure Aunt May will fix something for you."

"No, we'll be fine. Flash, I'm sorry I couldn't tell you about this," Sarah motions down toward her body. "It's sort of complicated."

"Yeah, well, I get that with you all. So I won't ask. But if you need anything, let me know," Flash insists.

"Thanks. Come on boys, we should get home. You two have homework and I have to make dinner," Sarah says as she wraps an arm around SJ.

"Sarah, if you need anything, let us know," Luke says once the civilians had walked away. "We'll be there in a heartbeat."

"Thank you, Luke. Be safe." The four teens go out to the SUV and drive home. Loki amuses SJ in the back by creating light shows with magic. Aaron holds Sarah's hand the whole ride home. Things were weird for this family. The parking garage was too quiet for comfort when they pulled in.

"Welcome home, sirs and miss," JARVIS says. "You were informed of the Avengers mission, were you not?"

"We were told they're on a mission," Aaron supplies.

"Mister Stark suspected as much. He left a file in his office. Miss Romanoff made sure that the fridge was stocked. Mister Rogers left money for takeout if you do not feel like cooking," JARVIS reports.

"Thank you JARVIS," SJ replies. The four go up to the pent house where Loki and Aaron sit down at the dining room table to do their homework, SJ laid down on the couch for a nap, and Sarah heads to the kitchen to make food. With her eidetic memory, she knew the information for class and finished the homework in class.

"JARVIS bring up the cookbook with baked macaroni and cheese please," Sarah instructs. The virtual cookbook turns on and turns to the page. Sarah sets about to make said dish for tonight's dinner.

"You can't cook," SJ says walking into the kitchen when Sarah calls him to set the table.

"You'd be surprised little brother. Aaron, Loki, fill up the glasses and take them to the table. I'll take a Coca Cola," Sarah says with a smile.

"I think I liked the old her," Aaron whispers to Loki as the pair get the glasses out.

"I heard that," Sarah calls from across the kitchen. The two boys exchange smirks and proceed to shake their heads. Sarah bends down to the oven and removes the dish with ease. She sets it on a wooden cutting board before turning the oven off and taking a spoon from the silverware drawer. She carries the dish on the board out to the dining table where the boys are dividing up spots.

"How about this," Loki says breaking SJ and Aaron up, "I do this." Loki snaps his fingers and the table is round and perfect for four people.

"Looks splendid," Sarah tells him. Sarah sets the dish down in the center of the table and the boys look at the perfect food. "Surprised I made something and didn't burn it?"

"When did you learn?" SJ asks softly.

"I lived with Howard Stark for two straight years. The man does not know how to cook, so I had Edwin Jarvis teach me how to cook."

"Edwin Jarvis?" SJ questions.

"He was the Stark Family butler before he passed away. Tony named JARVIS after him," Sarah informs SJ. "JARVIS, could you perhaps play some music for dinner?"

"It would be my pleasure miss. What shall I play?" JARVIS inquires.

"Night Visions album," SJ supplies. The music keys up and the four teens, if you can call Sarah and Loki teens, smile in approval. Dinner is relatively quiet. The boys take care of dishes while Sarah goes into Tony's office. She sits in his seat and JARVIS pulls the file up on the computer for her. She reads the file quickly, every character soaking into her skull. Ezekiel Stane, they were dealing with Ezekiel Stane.

"JARVIS I want access to all files Tony has on Obadiah Stane," Sarah states.

"Miss."

"I don't care about protocol JARVIS. I didn't trust Obadiah in the past; I doubt he turned out to be a good man." JARVIS brings up the files and Sarah reads them all. She sighs and puts her hands to her head. This wasn't going to be good. "JARVIS, if there is any access to the Tower during the night, let me know. Secondly, I want 24-hour surveillance on the surround areas of the Tower. I want daily reports. If there is a repetitive license plate, or one that stays within line of sight and access of the tower for too long, I want to know about it. Don't tell the boys."

"Yes ma'am."

"Thank you JARVIS."

"Excuse me, miss. But you have call," JARVIS informs her. Sarah picks up the phone and places it next to her ear.

"Hello?" Sarah says bored.

"Sarah, Fury."

"What can I do for you?" Sarah asks.

"I'm coming to the Tower with Maria and Coulson. Put your brother to bed."

"You got it." Sarah hangs up and walks out to the common room. Aaron looks up at her and instantly grows concerned.

"What is it Sarah? You look upset," Aaron says concerned.

"It's nothing Aaron. SJ, go shower and go to bed. You need to be up early to go to school with us." SJ nods and walks to his room. "JARVIS, alert me if he leaves his room, including if he leaves via the vents."

"Yes ma'am." Sarah sits down on a chair.

"Fury is coming over to talk to us." The boys glance at each other and then at the ground. This couldn't be good. The elevator pings and Fury exits it with Phil and Maria following. The trio sits down and faces the other trio.

"We lost contact with the Avengers ten hours ago," Fury informs them. "We have the secondary team moving out now. They'll find the Avengers. Loki, we were hoping you might be able to help." Loki nods and goes to the kitchen. He returns with a bowl of water.

"I'll try to find them, but I cannot guarantee it will give you an exact location." Loki's magic affects the water and soon a vision appears on the screen. "They are injured and bound. It seems to be a large dark building. However, I do not see my brother. There's a man there as well." Sarah looks over his shoulder and her shoulders drop.

"Stane has them," she states.

"How do you know about Stane?" Maria questions.

"I live with the Avengers, Maria, you expect me not to? Aaron-." Sarah's voice is drowned out by a loud clap of thunder. Everyone looks behind them as Thor stumbles inside from the balcony. He looks like hell.

"Brother!" Loki shouts and rushes to Thor's side. Thor falls into Loki's arms. Sarah and Aaron rush over helping the god to the couch. Loki puts his hand on Thor's neck to feel a pulse. "Brother?!"

"Compound. Mountains. North," Thor stammers before his eyes close.

"THOR!" Sarah cries.

"He sleeps. They could not hold him because of his magic. He came for help," Loki whispers. "He needs the healing room in Asgard. I will take him there and return."

"Be safe." A portal opens in the room to reveal Sif and Fandral.

"Heimdall alerted us," Sif says. "I will return Loki to you soon." Sarah nods and watches the three Asgardians take Thor to Asgard. Aaron sets his hand on Sarah's shoulder.

"What are we going to do?" Maria asks Fury.

"Coulson, get a detail on the girls," Fury orders referring to the women of the Avengers. "Sarah, is there somewhere safe you could take everyone?" Sarah thinks about it.

"I need to make a phone call." Sarah takes the phone and heads into the kitchen.

"Hello?" a voice says on the other end of the line.

"Scott?" Sarah asks.

"Yeah. Sarah is that you?"

"Yeah, I'm glad you remember me. Is the Professor there?" Sarah inquires.

"Here he is." The phone transfers hands quickly.

"Sarah, what can I do for you? Logan is not here."

"I figured as much. Professor, some people have my family and it's just us young ones here at the Tower. We need somewhere safe to go until they find our family. I was hoping we could come stay with you," Sarah suggests.

"When shall we expect you?"

"Some time later tonight or perhaps early in the morning. We have to pack and Loki needs to get back from Asgard," Sarah explains.

"Just call and we'll be waiting for you."

"Thank you, Professor."

"See you soon, Sarah." Sarah walks into the living room where she relays the news. Aaron goes off to pack his clothes and Loki's. Fury and Coulson come up with the plan for school; LMDs were already being shipped to the Tower for them. Sarah walks into her baby brother's bedroom.

"SJ," Sarah says and the blond looks up from his pillow, "hey buddy. You need to pack up. We're going to go stay at Professor Xavier's school for a few days."

"What's happened?"

"They lost contact with the Avengers but they have the secondary team on it. So, get dressed in some warmer clothes and pack your bags for a few days. Meet me back in the living room, okay?"

"Sure." Sarah nods and heads for her room. She has her bags packed in seconds, all the while talking on the phone with Peter who would relay it to their friends. Sarah packs the last of the things she needs and walks to the living room. Aaron and SJ are there. Sif's portal is closing as Loki picks his bag up from the floor.

"We'll be in touch," Fury says.

"Thank you Nick. See you later JARVIS."

"Be safe." The four teens go up to the hanger bay and load their gear into the second quinjet. They're barely out of the hanger by the time SJ is asleep again.

"We'll be back soon," Loki insists as Sarah looks at the Tower while the jet rises in the air.

"I know," Sarah whispers in return. The flight is short and a call to the school a half hour before arrival as the landing pad illuminated by lights. Sarah touches the jet down and the ramp opens. Xavier comes up the ramp with Scott, Laura, and Rogue in tow.

"Thank you for having us," Sarah says.

"We are allies. Scott, help the boys with the bags. We'll show you to the rooms you'll be bunking in." Sarah nods and walks over to asleep little brother. She picks him up and carries him toward the school. Aaron locks the jet up and carries Sarah's bag for her. Storm holds the door open for them when they reach the school and they hurry into the warmth of the school.

"Hasn't your family been through enough?" Storm ponders as she looks at the asleep SJ.

"Sometimes I ask the same thing," Sarah answers.

"Sarah, you'll be sharing a room with your brother for your stay. Loki, Aaron, you'll be sharing a room as well. Sleep in as late as you wish. Try to get some sleep," Xavier pleads. The teens nod and head toward their rooms. Laura holds the door open for Sarah as she maneuvers into the room with SJ in her arms. Scott sets hers and SJ's bags on the floor and leaves the room with Laura. Sarah tucks her little brother into bed and kisses his forehead. In the room next door, Aaron and Loki settle on the beds for troubled sleep.

"Sissy," SJ says waking up his sister. Sarah looks up at him. "Sissy, can I sleep next to you?"

"Come on little brother," Sarah says scooting over on the bed. SJ climbs onto the bed and snuggles into her side. She wraps her arms around him and kisses his forehead.

"Do you think they're all right?" SJ asks.

"I hope so." She kisses his forehead again and rubs his arm.

* * *

Thirty-six hours later, Natasha looks up from her position on the floor. Her arms are bound tightly behind her back. They hadn't hurt her or Bobbi after they learned the two women were pregnant. They just used really complicated restraints on their arms. Natasha uses her head to push herself up to the kneeling position. She works on her knees over to her fiancé. Steve's face is red from blood splatter and his own blood. She pushes him onto his uninjured back. Steve's hands are linked to the floor by chains, as are his ankles. They had beat him up good. Steve groans as he feels Natasha nudge his leg with her own.

"No more, please," Steve groans.

"Baby, it's me, come on," Natasha coaxes. Steve opens his eyes to see Natasha. Steve manages to his knees and kisses his fiancée softly on the lips. "How you holding up?"

"I'll be okay. Where's Bobbi?"

"Clint! Clint baby wake up!" Bobbi cries as she tries desperately to wake Clint on the other side of the large room in this warehouse like building.

"Clint!" Steve shouts in panic. Clint screams in pain as Bobbi tries to roll him onto his side. Steve now sees why. "Don't move him!"

"Oh baby," Bobbi cries as she sees the dislocated shoulder and what appeared to be a bullet wound in the shoulder bandaged up already.

"Are you okay?" Clint grinds out.

"I'm fine. They won't hurt me and Tasha since we're with child," Bobbi murmurs.

"Steve, Tasha, you okay?" Clint asks.

"A little worse for wear."

"Where's Bruce?" Clint asks. They all look around and spot the scientist strapped to a table inside of a Hulk proof cage.

"Hulk cage," Natasha answers.

"Stark?" Steve asks. They look around for the billionaire. A painful groan alerts them to where Tony is. They turn to see Tony curled up on the floor. "Tony!" With Steve's help, Natasha gets to her feet and rushes to the billionaire. She goes to her knees and puts Tony on his side. He cries out in pain as his body screams out in pain.

"Tony, Tony, I'm going to get you over to Steve, but I need you to put your arms around me," Natasha says. Tony reaches up blindly and wraps his arms around her shoulders. She lifts him up and works her way across the floor on her knees. She eases him down next to Steve who uses his fingers to peel away the clothing.

"Tony, open your eyes." Tony does and Steve holds three fingers up. "How many fingers am I holding up?"

"I don't know. I can't see. It's all black." Steve looks at Clint and Bobbi. A crash comes from outside the room and swearing echoes through the hallways. The door in the room opens up and a group of people is forced into the room.

"I'll kick your ass!" James yells as a guard throws him to the ground. His robotic arm is missing. They wheel Jennifer, Carol, and Logan, all heavily medicated, into the cell with Bruce. Zeke Stane walks into the room and smiles.

"All the Avengers. Now to get those precious kids of yours," Zeke chuckles.

"DON'T YOU TOUCH MY KIDS!" Natasha screams.

"We have to find them first." The guards throw a few coolers into the room and walk out with Zeke. Janet hurries to Natasha's side and rips up her clothes to treat Tony's wounds. Hank Pym pops Clint's shoulder back into place for him.

"What now?" James asks. He puts his hand on the disc his metal arm attached to.

"We wait and think," Steve answers with a grunt.

* * *

Back in New York State, Fury relays the news to the kids in the den of the Xavier Institute. Charles is in town with Storm getting groceries with some of the other kids, leaving the Avengers kids at the mansion.

"Who is going after them?" Sarah asks.

"We're working on getting a new response team. The Council won't let us send you," Fury says. He leaves, casually leaving a file on the table. Sarah grabs the file and looks at the information.

"Pack up, we're leaving," Sarah snarls. She glances at all three of her boys.

"Where to?" Aaron asks.

"To get a team," Sarah answers. "You have twenty minutes." Sarah walks away to her and SJ's room. She packs up quickly and heads to the jet. She kicks the systems on and starts the flight plan. "Jay, you up?"

"As always miss."

"Map out the flight plan for Charles Barton and Wade Wilson," Sarah orders.

"Longest to shortest?"

"If you would."

"Of course ma'am."

"Jarvis, add Doctor William Madden to the list as well," Sarah says calmly.

"Do you know him, ma'am?"

"Yes, quite well. He knows where I can find a few people. Thank you JARVIS." Sarah gets up as JARVIS maps out the flight plan. She puts her bag in one of the storage bins while taking out her suit. Sarah hears Laura walk up the ramp.

"What are you going to do?" Laura asks from the ramp.

"The Council won't allow Fury to send another team, but he left the file with us on purpose. The Avengers have the resources; I just need to borrow some. Both teams came in by air; they were taken out five miles from the center of a dead zone. I won't make the same mistake. First step, I need to recruit a team, the next step, formulate a plan," Sarah says as she stripes off the jacket and tank top. Laura and Sarah had seen each other in little clothes before this was nothing new.

"I want in," Laura tells her. "They have my dad. I want him back."

"Get to the Tower, don't fly. Drive. I have to pick up some people first. It'll take a couple of hours at least. Here's an address," Sarah says handing Laura a piece of paper she had already prepared, "it'll get you into the Tower undetected. I'm sure Stane's men have the Tower under observation. Once inside this building, heat shielding will be activated to cloak all heat signatures in the Tower as well as black out all windows. We'll come in the plane, but I plan on having a distraction for that. Just be careful and wait in the hanger." Laura nods as she puts the paper in her vest and walks out of the plane. Sarah dials up the super crew, each of them agreeing to help. Peter would take them all in via the secret access building. Peter would talk to Harry Osborn, Gwen, and MJ. They'd need someone at the Tower to help relay information. Sarah dials another number as the boys head toward the jet from the mansion.

"Hey Sarah," Johnny Storm says cheerfully.

"Hey Johnny. Listen, are you free for a couple of days?"

"Got a job?" Johnny inquires.

"Yeah, a rescue one. But I only want you. Sue, Reed, and Ben would try to stop me. But I figure since you're young, you're all right," Sarah says with a smirk.

"Okay. Where you want to meet up?" Johnny asks.

"You know where the Xavier Institute is?" Sarah asks.

"Yeah."

"Meet me in the air on a bearing of 280 degrees."

"All right. You got clothes I can borrow?"

"We'll be returning to the Tower in a few hours. Only reason I want you to meet us is you can't be seen going in," Sarah explains.

"All right. I'll head up that way."

"Thanks Johnny." Sarah puts away the phone as her boys walk up the ramp and Aaron closes it.

"We have targets to acquire, they're allies, hopefully. If we have a team, we can get them back. SJ, you in for this?" Sarah asks her little brother.

"Of course. The Corporation gave me training too sis." Sarah nods and goes into the bathroom to finish changing. She remerges and Aaron uses it to finish. Loki dawns his armor and places some on SJ until they can get him a uniform. Sarah slips into the pilot's chair and pilots them out of the area. Aaron opens the hatch up when Johnny comes streaking by. The Human Torch flies inside and lands turning his flames off as Aaron closes the ramp.

"Good to see you Johnny," Aaron says.

"Same. So, what's the situation?" Johnny asks.

"Both Avengers teams were captured," Sarah informs him. "We're putting together a rescue team along with a plan, unlike the rest of the family."

"Reasonable. Hey kiddo," Johnny says roughing up SJ's hair. An hour later they land outside of a warehouse in Oregon. Sarah and Aaron infiltrate the building with ease. Sarah catches the arrow headed for Aaron with skilled ease and throws it into the wall behind the shooter.

"That wasn't very nice, Barney," Sarah calls up to the man.

"How'd you know it was me?" Barney demands as he jumps from the catwalk to the ground.

"You, Aaron, and Clint shot similarly. That and we were looking for you," Sarah says with a smirk. Barney, with his red hair, looks over at Aaron who shifts uncomfortably.

"I left you with your mother," Barney states plainly.

"She's dead," Aaron snaps. "Killed about a year ago."

"I'm sorry to hear that Aaron. What do you want?" Barney asks.

"Your help," Sarah answers simply as she runs a finger along a box in the warehouse covered with arrows. "The Avengers were taken, your brother included. I know you hate him but hey, just thinking, if he's dead, you can't get even with him can you?" Sarah says with a smile. "Of course, you won't, I mean look at his family. But you might get that one in a million chance someday. The fact is, we're under skilled. Whether you help us or not is your choice." Barney's eyes narrow suspiciously.

"Dad, please," Aaron practically begs.

"I'll do it for my son and to make sure my brother survives long enough I can get a shot at him myself," Barney snarls. "Give me a minute." Barney walks over and pulls on a string overhead. A cot is shown and a bag. Barney grabs the bag and motions for the pair to lead on. "So, what's your name, fearless leader?" Barney inquires.

"Sarah, they call me Lady Star. My dad is Captain America." Loki and Johnny glare at Barney as he walks in with them. "SJ, get a hold of Coulson and ask him to have a quinjet brought to the Tower to replace the one the Avengers were using. We need to borrow it."

"Ma'am," JARVIS says startling Barney and Johnny, "Mr. Stark left a warehouse with gear in New York. It includes a quinjet, room for this quinjet, supplies, and vehicles."

"All right, SJ, call Laura and tell her to relax until we get there. We'll be coming by car," Sarah orders.

"Sure thing Sis. Who's next on our list?" SJ asks.

"Dr. Madden," Sarah answers and SJ tenses. "He's an all right guy, SJ. He's got the location of a few other prisoners he smuggled out when he left."

"Who is Dr. Madden?" Johnny inquires.

"He's a genetic researcher. He's known for enhancing humans close to the level of super soldiers," Aaron answers. "He was the head doctor of a group called Corporation War for fifteen years before he left and disappeared. You know where he is?" Aaron ask Sarah.

"He made us memorize a code for a transmitter he wears. If we ever got out, we were to go to him for help," Sarah explains. The men are silent as the only female among them pilots the jet southeast. After a two-hour trip, they land at a large ranch house in the middle of the country. An older man in his late forties walks out of the house as Sarah walks down the ramp. He smiles at her and then at SJ.

"Doctor Madden, I'm sure you don't remember me but-," Sarah says but the Doctor cuts her off.

"The only successful female clone of Captain Rogers. I called you Star when I took care of you. And this, this must be Little America. My, my you have grown up well," Madden chuckles. "Come in, come in! And you brought friends! How exciting. Is there something I can help you with?" Madden asks as the group walks into the house.

"Doctor, I'm looking for hopefully some of the other children. My family was kidnapped and I need a rescue team with skills. Unfortunately I can't get access to the agency I'm an ally with," Sarah explains.

"Yes, I feared one day a child would come to me with one such request. I must ask before I get some of the children, what is your new name, and the boy's?"

"I am Sarah Rogers, and this is my little brother Steve Rogers Junior," Sarah says with a smile. "The children of Captain America and the Black Widow."

"Ah yes, I saw your picture in the paper the other day. You looked a bit younger. Time travel or aging?" Madden inquires as he sends a message off on his computer.

"Time travel. I spent four years around the time of World War Two, fought alongside my father in the war," Sarah tells him.

"Good, good. How many years did the Corporation have you?"

"Fifteen and a half. They had SJ for thirteen."

"That's a true shame. So, are these your fellow rescuers or just chaperones?" Madden inquires.

"Well, I'm her boyfriend," Aaron says. "Aaron, pleasure to meet you sir."

"The Bowman. I have heard your reputation through some of the children. And you must be Trickshot, his father. You convinced him to help?" Madden scoffs.

"I save my brother, I get to fight him another day," Barney says dryly.

"True, true, some of the children have that philosophy as well. And you, good boy?" Madden asks Loki.

"Loki Laufeyson, Prince of Asgard, and foster-sibling to Sarah. Her family took me in," Loki informs Madden.

"A tamed god of mischief? I never thought I would see the day, but I am not surprised that Sarah turned your heart. She has that talent. And you are Johnny Storm of the Fantastic Four. Marvelous job in recruiting Sarah. And you, SJ, you have not said a word. Nervous, boy?" Madden inquires.

"Well sir, you're the closest thing I have to a grandfather," SJ tells Madden. "I'm sort of in awe."

"Thank you for the compliment, my boy. Ah, here come some of the children now. There's only three, unfortunately. Many others have been killed off," Madden informs them. Three people walk through the door. The first has red hair, blue eyes, and a cold disposition, everything about her screams Natasha. The next is a boy with brown hair, about twenty years old, and his body screams soldier. The last one is female, brunette, and carries herself like a soldier.

"This is Natalia, after her DNA donor, and Buck, after his DNA donor, and this is my daughter who was put in the program. Her name is Dominique, but they call her Dom," Madden tells them. "Children this is-."

"Oh my god," Buck gasps out and hugs Sarah tightly. "I never thought I'd see you again, squirt."

"You stupid bastard," Sarah snarls as she hugs him firmly in return. "I thought you were dead!"

"I'm confused," SJ admits as Natalia hugs Sarah as well followed by Dominique.

"The four of them were supposed to escape together. But there was an explosion," Madden informs SJ. "We didn't know if Sarah had survived. She was only eight at the time."

"They found me in the wreckage a day later," Sarah tells him. "I thought the flames got you three."

"They got Natalia's legs but I carried her out," Buck says as he hugs Sarah again. "What happened to Doctor Sydney?"

"They killed her when they found us," Sarah tells him. "They made me watch. God, it's good to see you again Buck."

"You too. What do they call you now?" Buck asks.

"Sarah and this is my little brother SJ. Listen, I need a hand getting my family back, they've been captured. I could use all the help I can get," Sarah says quickly.

"We're in. Let us get packed." The trio runs off and Sarah turns to Madden.

"If they stay with you, I'd at least like a phone call." Madden hands her a phone number. "Good luck." Madden hugs her and SJ. As Madden releases, Sarah's head spins for a second, but Aaron holds her steady. "They never fixed you did they?" Sarah shakes her head. Madden motions her to sit down. He walks away and returns a minute later with a small kit. "They fixed SJ before he was created, melded your DNA and the Captain's. I left instructions to fix you. This will give you three more months." He injects her with something and Sarah's head clears instantly. "Three months, Sarah. Get yourself treated."

"Thanks Doc. When this is all over, I will."

"If you need a hand with it, give me a call." Sarah nods as the trio returns from upstairs.

"I'll be in touch, Doc. Come on, we got one more person to pick up before we go back to the others," Sarah says standing up. The introductions all around on the plane was accompanied by a few tense seconds before Loki entertained them with a lightshow. Sarah lands the plane again and motions the team to stay in the plane. She walks to the building and the door opens with a squeak. The man standing in the doorway has a red and black mask in hand, his face serious.

"Logan's told me about you, so has Peter. If you're here, something's happened," Deadpool states.

"Hello Wade. I suppose you know my name then. The Avengers, both teams, have been captured. Among them were Logan, Cap, and most of the others. The only one that made it out was Thor and he's in Asgard healing. I was hoping you'd join the rescue mission," Sarah says.

"Just give me a second. I owe Logan." Wade grabs up a bag from the floor and follows Sarah to the jet. "Quite the team."

"This isn't all of them either," Sarah says with a chuckle. "JARVIS, flight plan to the warehouse."

"Yes ma'am. This warehouse is the same as the one to access the Tower, there is just a different access to it. Mister Laufeyson," JARVIS says causing Loki to look to a camera in the plane, "if you would give us cover when we hit the city limits."

"Of course, JARVIS."

"SJ, how you holding up?" Sarah asks looking over her shoulder at her brother.

"I'm worried about Mom and Dad."

"I know buddy."

"Hey Sis, if Natalia is Mom's clone, does that make her our sister?" SJ asks. Sarah thinks about it for a second.

"If she wants to be." SJ looks at Natalia who shrugs.

"What's that make me?" Buck says indignantly.

"Cousin," Sarah answers. "Bucky is practically our uncle. Actually, after my whole time travel thing, I'm not sure what he is to me anymore."

Aaron groans before asking, "What did you do?"

"Hey, he did it not me!" Sarah snaps back. "I was faithful to you. Bucky just kissed me a couple dozen times. He also flirted with me, quite a bit. And we danced at the Stork club frequently. Most of the time we were trying to get Dad out on a date, but that never happened."

"Remind me when we get him back to knock his lights outs," Aaron mutters.

"Now Aaron, violence is not the answer," Loki teases.

"The hell it ain't," Aaron snaps. "Nobody touches my girl but me."

"Love you too Aaron," Sarah chuckles.

"So why do we have the Merc with a Mouth along?" Barney asks.

"Because I have skills, Bow Boy."

"Watch your tongue," Barney snarls.

"Whatcha gonna do? I'm so scared. You're a pillow compared to Logan," Wade scoffs.

"Shut it," Sarah orders. "Loki, you have twenty minutes for a spell. I got us cloaked but that won't cover our entrance." Loki nods and takes the seat next to her up front. Once in New York, a darkness overtakes the city cutting off electricity for a few moments as the jet passes through. Clouds of fog fill the street long enough for Sarah to land the jet in the warehouse. Loki releases the spell and shakes off the feeling.

"A little too much?" Sarah chuckles.

"Yes." The group grabs their gear from the plane and walks the underground tunnel to the Tower's garage. They take the elevator up where the rest of the gang is waiting in the living room.

* * *

**Right back into the fire of trouble. Figures right? So yeah, hope you liked it. **


	21. Cooking in the Fire

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE AVENGERS OR MARVEL!**

**Sarge: Don't own anything but my original characters, and there's a growing amount. **

**Sarah: Shouldn't you be sleeping? It's midnight.**

**Sarge: *glares* A, I had to update. B, I'm on and RP Forum having fun, leave me a lone. **

**Sarah: If you keep with the forum you'll never finish your story. **

**Sarge: Screw you. **

**Steve: Girls, behave. Come on Sarah, you have a team to manage. **

* * *

The elevator doors open to reveal Laura sitting on the couch with Rogue and Gambit. The three X-Men have their gear with them at their feet, ready to fight. Peter is sitting on the ceiling watching the TV upside down. Ava is reclining on a chair like a cat, her head over the side and her feet over the back of the chair. Luke, Danny, and Sam are watching the TV bored out of their brains. Gwen and MJ are sitting with Harry on one of the couches slightly bored. And much to everyone's surprise, Flash is carrying on a conversation with Peter from the floor.

"Rogue, Gambit, I didn't expect you here!" Wade laughs. "This is turning into a party!"

"Flash, what are you doing here?" Sarah asks.

"I was at Gwen's when Peter came. I figured when you all leave, the girls might need a little muscle," Flash tells her. Sarah nods in understanding.

"JARVIS, the Tower is to go on full lock down until I give the orders, understood?" Sarah questions as she sets her bag down.

"Understood ma'am. What am I to tell SHIELD?" JARVIS inquires.

"Safety procedures. All right, next on the agenda, introductions." The room quickly goes through the introductions as the team comes together.

"Loki, I don't suppose you have a magic spell to make sandwiches," SJ hints. Loki snaps his fingers and the shutting of doors can be heard from the kitchen.

"Give it five minutes. So, Sarah, do you have a plan formulating?" Loki asks.

"Yeah, but we'll wait for the food before going to the war room. JARVIS, I'll need all tables up in the war room."

"Right away ma'am." Two large platters of sandwiches followed by a platter carrying a 24 pack of Pepsi floats towards them. Aaron, Gambit, and Luke grab the platters before they head down the staircase to the war room as it had been nicknamed.

"JARVIS," Sarah says calling the robot to attention, "I want this file displayed on the screens around the room." She drops the file, along with the one from Tony, on the scanner. "Next, I need the smallest Iron Man suit brought up on table two. Little brother needs some armor. Next, table three, satellite view of the black zone. I want pictures. Table four, radio transmissions. Table five building plans from the black zone. Use six through eight to map out any assault teams outside of the Tower."

"Thought this through, sister?" Natalia muses.

"I'm a tactician. I spent two years organizing missions in WWII," Sarah answers dryly. She puts on the finger glove to control all the screens from across the room. "All right, what we know so far, the enemy's name is Ezekiel Stane, son of Obadiah Stane. The Stane family has a grudge match against the Stark family that reaches back decades. It's safe to assume that out of the team members, Tony's probably the one that's hurt the most."

"So why take all the Avengers?" Dom asks.

"You mess with one Avenger, you mess with all of them. Which leads me to my next point," Sarah says motioning for them to follow her. They arrive at table six, seven, and eight. Each table has a 360 hologram with assault teams mapped out. "They know about me, Aaron, and SJ. Probably Loki too. Anyway, these assault teams are here to get us. Don't worry, the Tower is blacked out, they don't know we're here."

"Stark Tower is high tech," Harry muses. "I'll have to tell Tony he's a genius after this."

"Don't, his ego doesn't need to be any bigger," Loki comments.

"The assault teams need to be taken out or distracted. We can't make a clean escape unless we have the right circumstances. We have ten sniper teams, two vans with assault teams, and two more with RPGs. I figure we take out at least the RPGs so the jets can get away clean. The snipers and assault teams won't be able to do damage to the jets. So, RPGs, we need to take those out. We'll deal with those once we have the attack plan done," Sarah says looking at them.

"So, what can we do to help?" Harry asks.

"Well, we need a team at base relaying us information. That is where you come in," Sarah explains. She motions Harry, Gwen, MJ, and Flash to follow her. She motions to tables three, four, and five. "When we go in, these will be what you'll have to monitor for us. Learn them like we will be learning."

"Are you having the kid come along?" Barney asks motioning to SJ.

"He's got training," Natalia snarls at Barney. "Don't you, little brother?"

"Thirteen years of it," SJ confirms.

"Don't worry about him Barney, I'm already thinking ahead," Sarah says motioning to table two. "JARVIS, how fast can you manufacture sections of the suit?" Sarah inquires.

"12 hours maximum depending on how much will have to be done," JARVIS answers.

"All right, Peter and I will be designing some light armor for SJ to protect him. So, while we're doing that, I want everyone else to learn the target zone inside and out. SJ, you're with us. We'll be in Tony's lab. JARVIS, shut down table two. JARVIS, tell Agent Coulson to call me in Tony's lab in five minutes."

"Right away ma'am."

"Aaron, Laura, you're in charge until I get back. Start thinking about plans of attack. Barney, you double cross us and you'll be dead faster than Aaron can put an arrow in your head, got it? Good. Wade, you're good at plans of attack, start thinking too. Nobody kill each other," Sarah orders walking out of the room.

"Is she always that bossy?" Barney asks Aaron.

"She's the perfect replica of Cap, just female. She's a natural born leader," Buck tells Barney. "All right, JARVIS, can you give a heat signature map of the target area?"

"Right away sir. May I ask for introductions?" JARVIS asks.

"Oh, sorry JARVIS," Loki says. "Everybody, this is JARVIS, the resident AI butler. You'll get used to him quickly. If you don't mind saying your name so he knows what to call you."

"Hello JARVIS, I'm Gwen," Gwen says with a smile.

"I'm Harry. Pleasure to meet you JARVIS," Harry says with a smile.

"Barney Barton," Barney says flatly.

"Wade Wilson or Deadpool," Wade says with a smile as he fiddles with his mask.

"I'm Natalia, JARVIS, it is good to know that something is watching over my siblings here at all times," Natalia says.

"It is my job Miss Natalia."

"You can call me Buck, JARVIS."

"I'm Dominique, JARVIS, but you can call me Dom."

"It is a pleasure to meet you all. Mr. Storm, your sister is looking for you. She has called the Tower several times in an attempt to see if you are here. Do you have a message for her?" JARVIS inquires.

"Tell her I'm busy and will be home when I get home," Johnny retorts as he chows down on a sandwich. Down in Tony's lab, SJ stands on one of the full size holographic systems. Sarah walks up to him as Peter watches the screen.

"All right, let's start editing," Sarah mutters. "JARVIS, is it possible to make the thought connection in a modified suit?"

"Yes miss."

"Good. Peter, add that to the list," Sarah orders. Peter nods and Sarah sighs as she looks at the design again. She removes most of the gauntlet, leaving enough metal to help deflect weapons with his forearms and the repulsors for nonlethal weapons. She removes the arms except for the wires going to the repulsors. She modifies the chest piece a bit before doing the same to the other arm. She keeps the boots but modifies them slightly for her brother. The rest of the legs are scraped as they were unneeded. She moves to the helmet. She removes the faceplate and replaces it with a clear bulletproof glass to protect his face.

"JARVIS, overlap a male version of my suit on this." The hologram changes. Sarah removes her visor, removes the vest, and changes the color to a tone closer to their father's. She then places a star where the arc-reactor would go. She adds in her energy shield as well, but this one fits right on the Iron Man gauntlet. "JARVIS, how long to render?"

"Ten hours ma'am. There are several arc-reactors in storage to power your design," JARVIS informs her.

"All right. I'll need one for his suit and one for when we leave. Tony's might be damaged," Sarah says looking at Peter who is double checking variables on the screen. "Does everything clear, J, for SJ's suit? Will it work properly on thought command?"

"He will need to bond with it after the rendering to make sure it is ready for combat," JARVIS answers.

"Thanks JARVIS," SJ says with a smile stepping off the holographic pad.

"Bring them back safely," JARVIS says as the machines in Tony's lab come to life.

"Inform me when the rendering is complete," Sarah orders as the three of them head upstairs.

"Yes ma'am. Miss Potts is on the line." Sarah picks up the phone.

"Hello Pepper."

"Sarah, I'm with Jane, Darcy, and Betty in Malibu. What's going on?" Pepper asks.

"How much do you know?" Sarah counters as the trio leaves the lab and heads to the war room.

"The Avengers are missing."

"Ezekiel Stane has them, plus the second team of Avengers."

"Is there a rescue planned?" Pepper asks hopefully.

"Not SHIELD sanctioned, but there is a plan coming together. I have to go Pep, planning to do. Just stay there and stay safe, okay?" Sarah looks at SJ who takes his sister's hand and squeezes it tightly. It was hitting them all hard. This wasn't something they were looking forward too.

"We will. Bring them home safely."

"We will. I have to go, I got another call." Sarah hangs up and transfers lines to catch Phil.

"Sarah, why are you in New York?" Coulson demands.

"Don't worry, the Tower is on lock down, cloaked, and the teams around the Tower never saw us," Sarah says to calm his nerves. "I need your help."

"Rescue?"

"Yeah."

"We're having a hell of a time finding a team."

"Already have one. All I need is SHIELD ready to send in support if we need it," Sarah explains. "Both teams went in by air before. We'll go by land after we land. Also, there are teams around the Tower, JARVIS mapped them out. If I give you the locations, you think you can get them out?" Peter opens the door to the war room where the team is pulling apart the buildings piece by piece.

"You got it. Have JARVIS send the file."

"You're great Phil. Talk to you when we have the timing figured out," Sarah says with a smile.

"I'll have Fury give the orders for a special team. Good luck."

"We'll need it." Sarah hangs up and puts the phone on table 2. She walks back to the table where the team is motioning to a room with high ceilings, a small room inside, and lots of space. "Whatcha got?" she asks.

"The likely room where the team is being held," Harry answers. "This is a like an x-ray of the whole building. They were stupid enough to file the actual building permits in a shell company of Ezekiel Stane. Lukas, I mean Loki, commented how this room looks like the cage built for the Hulk. That'll be where they're holding Hulk, Wolverine, Ms. Marvel, and She-Hulk, probably heavily medicated. But if you can get them off the medication, they'll recover quickly."

"Harry, I didn't know you were this smart," Sarah says with a smirk.

"Yeah, well, I try to act normal at school. Flash pointed something out," Harry says motioning to Flash. Sarah looks at Flash who points to four gold squares in the floor.

"These are denser than the rest of the floor, heavier. My guess, that's how they're keeping Captain America in check. Probably chained up with reinforced chains. And since the only other threats were Hawkeye and Tony in the last team, Hawkeye was probably put on this other set. Seeing as I'm a bully, I'd want Stark free so I could pummel him. Your mom and aunt are probably restrained. The second team, them I'm not so sure about. But that would be my guess," Flash explains.

"Flash, you're not stupid," Peter chuckles.

"Thanks Peter."

"So, where is this room located in the complex?" SJ asks. Loki compiles the building again and there's an audible groan from all present. It was in the bottom of the complex, in the far rear of the building.

"What do we know about the guards?" Peter asks.

"It's a small army," Luke says tiredly.

"Loki, any chance we can get help from Asgard?" Sarah asks.

"Doubtful."

"What about the rest of the Fantastic Four?" Ava asks.

"No, my sister would put an end to the mission," Johnny answers. Sarah looks up at Laura.

"Laura."

"I got a few in mind."

"Could they hijack the X-Jet?" Sarah continues.

"Easily."

"Make the call. Do not bring in Xavier on this."

"Got it." Laura walks off to make the calls. She returns a few minutes later. "We got Scott, Emma, Jubilee, Bobby, and Scott's brother Alex coming down to give us a hand."

"Good. All right, let's start planning."

At the compound, the door to the prisoners' room opens. The guards slide in a cart full of food and escort the medical team to check on their patients. Janet pulls Tony closer to Steve and Natasha when Ezekiel comes in. Tony gasps in pain as he's shifted.

"Still hurting, Stark?" Zeke chuckles.

"You're a monster," Janet snarls.

"Yes, just like my father. Doctor, give them a medical kit. They need to tend to their wounds," Zeke says. The doctor hands a kit to Hank Pym who nods to the doctor in thanks. Their captors walk out and seal the room up again.

"Get him on the cot," Hank orders. There was a cot they had found a day ago in the corner of the room. They took turns sleeping on it. They hadn't wanted to move Tony there. James hauls the cot closer while Scott and Rhodey haul Tony over to the cot. "Janet, get Bobbi and Natasha free." Hank tosses her a key from the medical kit. The cuffs on the two pregnant women's arms come off easily with the key. Bobbi wraps her arms around Clint who hides his face in her neck. They still hadn't freed him from those chains yet, no one could figure out why they hadn't.

"Oh baby, are you all right?" Bobbi whispers running a hand through his hair.

"Sweetheart, don't worry about me," Clint murmurs kissing her neck.

"How can't I? You're my husband." Bobbi kisses him passionately before holding him tightly and crying. Across the room, Steve nuzzles Natasha's neck as his fiancée wraps her body around him. Steve sits on the floor holding Natasha the best he can with the chains. It was obvious why he was chained. He had the strength to bust through the doors.

"It feels good to feel your hugs, Tasha," Steve whispers softly.

"Steve, sweetheart, what if we don't get out of here? Who's going to take care of the kids?" Natasha asks. Steve can feel her tears running down his neck as she cries.

"Phil and Pepper will keep them safe."

"What if they come after us? You know Sarah will. She'd fight her way through an army to get to us," Natasha continues. "They can't possibly get through all this."

"Natasha, sweetheart, our kids are amazing. They can do anything they set their minds to. Remember the last time this happened?"

"Sarah almost died."

"Besides that. They found us they rescued us. The kids are capable of handling themselves, trust me," Steve insists.

"Oh Steve!" Natasha cries and hugs her fiancé tighter.

"Natasha, kiss me," Steve whispers in her ear. Natasha does and they kiss for a good minute before separating. "Our kids will be fine."

"Okay."

Back in New York, Sarah watches as Loki casts the spell to get the X-Jet into that spare building without it being noticed. Laura and Loki had gone down to get the X-Men that were joining them while Sarah thought a few things through. There's a knock on Tony's office door, where she's holed up at the moment. Aaron comes in holding out plate with two sandwiches.

"You haven't eaten in a few hours. You'll need your strength," Aaron tells her.

"Yeah. Thanks Aaron."

"We'll get them back, you know that right?" Aaron confirms looking his girlfriend over.

"I'm just worried." Aaron sighs and walks around the desk. He turns her chair around to face him and he sits down on top of her legs. "Babe, you're crushing my legs." Aaron rolls his eyes and kisses her softly.

"You need to relax some. Otherwise you're going to get killed," Aaron whispers as he moves toward her ear. He kisses her ear lobe.

"Babe, not the time," Sarah moans.

"Relax," he whispers and kisses her neck. Once Aaron feels all the tension leave her, he gets up and hands her a sandwich. "I know, you hate me."

"You do that to me again and I'm going to pin you to a wall," Sarah warns.

"Miss Rogers, it seems that Mr. Wilson is about to kill Mr. Barton." Sarah runs out of the room while Aaron brings the sandwiches.

"HOLD IT!" Sarah shouts as Wade points his sword at Barney. "WHAT IN THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?!"

"His plan is a suicide plan!" Wade shouts. "He wants us to die!"

"Oh like your plan is any better!" Barney retorts.

"SHUT IT NOW!" Sarah barks and both men look at her.

"Why? You're a kid!" Barney scoffs. A blue mist develops around Sarah's feet as her anger rises. Her necklace is glowing as she raises a hand and both men are pinned to the wall.

"You will listen to me because I brought us together. If you think I shouldn't be in charge, have a vote. See if someone is going to put a psychopath like you in charge! You try to kill your own brother! You left him to die when he was beaten to an inch of his life!" Sarah bellows at him. The magic drops from her control and she glares at the two men.

"What's going on? We could hear the shouting from the armory," Dom says coming in.

"I call a vote on unseating Sarah as leader of this rescue mission on the terms that she's a child and that there are capable adults present," Barney says the second everyone is in the room.

"And put who in charge? You, Wade, Loki?" Aaron counters.

"Yes."

"I won't do it," Loki says simply. "I know Sarah's judgment is sound."

"I'm more of a psycho than Barney, so I'm not doing it," Wade says firmly.

"All right, vote who wants to remove Sarah from leadership and replace her with Barney? All those for," Emma says calmly already knowing the answer. "All those opposed." Every hand other than Sarah and Barney's are raised. "Sarah's leader." Sarah walks up to Barney and grabs his collar.

"You try a mutiny on me again and I'll hand you over to Fury with a knife in your heart, got that?" Sarah snarls.

"Yes, _ma'am_," he sneers. Sarah shoves him back and looks to Wade.

"Do I have any issues with you Wade?"

"No ma'am."

"Good. Let's get a plan in concrete. For everyone that doesn't know introductions rapidly please," Sarah prompts as she walks over to the planning tables. After they're made, Sarah counts the number of heads. She starts to split them into groups.

"Okay, Flash, Harry, MJ, and Gwen, you're staying here as our info. JARVIS is getting the Stark satellite over the compound for a live feed. Next, we need different teams to go in. I'm thinking three. One to rescue, one to cause distraction and damage inside, and one to cause distraction and damage outside so we can get away, sound good?" Sarah questions.

"That sounds about right, we can break off into smaller sections from there as necessary," Aaron agrees.

"I'm with her," Wade says with a smile. "You got a code name, kid?"

"Lady Star," Aaron answers, "at least that's what everyone as SHIELD calls her."

"They have anything for me?" SJ asks.

"Dad and Mom are keeping you under wraps," Sarah informs her younger brother. "They're trying to give you a chance at normalcy. Anybody got one for him?"

"We'll come up with something later, promise," Luke says with a smirk.

"Good, now, let's divvy up the teams," Sarah says with a determined face. "JARVIS, holographic representation of each member of the rescue team. Make a base zone, an exterior, interior, and rescue zone to represent the teams," Sarah orders. The screen on the spare table #9 lights up with the list and a dot for each one. Four squares are represented on the table. The group squeezes in close around the table to watch the sorting process. Sarah grabs the ones for Harry, MJ, Gwen, and Flash before depositing them in the base zone.

"I'm trusting you four to give us the information we'll be needing during the fight," Sarah says looking at them. "Pick a leader among you, whoever it is, tell me so I know. The leaders will be having a meeting after this." Sarah looks at the rest of the faces in the room. She reaches up to hers, Aaron's, and SJ's dots. She tosses them straight into the rescue team closely followed by Loki's. Sarah looks at Barney for a moment before taking his dot and throwing it in the group as well.

"You trust me to be in your group?" Barney scoffs.

"I highly doubt that the Avengers are uninjured. They probably made it so Clint can't shoot a bow. So, I'd like to have two there in case Aaron needs to be elsewhere. Besides, this way you can insure your brother will survive until you can kill him at a later date, which you and I will be discussing later, Mr. Barton. Next, Laura, you're in too. You can break into the Hulk cage."

"If you didn't put me in, I'd be trading places for a position on your team," Laura chuckles.

"I figured as much. Dom, Buck, you want in too?" Sarah inquires looking at the pair.

"Dom's got medical knowledge and I can help with the muscle part. We're in," Buck answers.

"That's the first team then. I'll lead, and Aaron is my second in command. No offense little brother, but Aaron's got more field experience than you do," Sarah says looking at her brother. SJ nods with a knowing looking on his face. She knows he wants to be a larger part of this, but she also knows he knows his own limits.

"So, how are you going to divvy up the rest of us?" Scott asks.

"Mostly by amount of damage you can do," Sarah answers. "I want destruction on the outside. So, I'm thinking Gambit should be on that team. I have plenty of things he can blow up for us. Following him will be Scott and Alex of course since your powers will come in handy out there. Bobby, you have ice powers so I'll put you out there along with Jubilee and Johnny. Bobby, Johnny, no trying to beat each other on down enemy count. I don't want mud when we get out of the building. Then I want Dan out there, he can take care of those in guardhouses and such, along with Sam. Sam, I'd appreciate if you didn't hold back too much," Sarah says with a sigh. She tosses the corresponding dots in the group. "I'm thinking perhaps Scott or Johnny could be lead of that team, but that's just a thought. Fight it out later.

"That leaves Peter, Wade, Natalia, Rogue, Emma, Luke, and Ava on the inside with the rescue team. You can pick your group leader. So, why don't we take a table and each group can talk over an attack plan for the next hour or so. Then the group leaders will talk while the rest of you catch some sleep. By then SJ's suit should be done, the satellite should be in place, JARVIS should be done fueling up the jets, and other things will be in place. Get to work people."

The groups split to the four different tables. The base team learn everything about the read outs from JARVIS and practice reading it out to each other using a few of the screens as references. The outside teams figures out the place places to attack along with the best way to get the rescue and interior teams inside. From there, the interior teams plan the course of action to get the rescue team to the room while planning their path of destruction. Of course, nothing every goes to plan though.

"Ma'am," JARVIS says causing Sarah to look up, "it seems that Agent Coulson and two others are attempting to gain access to the Tower via the secret entrance." Sarah looks at Aaron.

"Emma, you and Laura with me. The rest of you, continue running through simulations," Sarah orders. "JARVIS, time until SJ's suit is done?"

"Forty minutes."

"Alert me when it's done."

"Yes ma'am." Sarah walks out of the room with Emma and Laura.

"So, what do you think they want?" Laura inquires to Sarah as they hit the elevator.

"Well, I had Coulson setting up a team to take care of the hit squad outside as well as a group to act as reinforcements for the mission," Sarah answers. They take the elevator down and across to the building. Coulson, Nick Fury Jr., and Maria Hill stand annoyed at the electric cage they're contained in. "JARVIS, deactivate the cage. Sorry about that, we're a little cautious at the moment."

"We noticed," Maria says dryly.

"Fury sent us for a briefing. Nick here will be leading your backup team, Maria and I will deal with the men outside," Phil explains.

"Then welcome to Mission Outreach," Emma says with a smirk. "Sarah's in charge and if you try in any way to betray us to the Council, Ms. Hill, I will have no issue with making you believe you are two years old and Coulson is your mother. Are we clear?"

"Where'd you pick the Ice Queen up from?" Hill questions.

"None of your concern. Come on," Sarah says with a motion to follow. Laura smiles up at Fury Jr.

"How are you Nicky?" Sarah inquires.

"Ready to get back Bucky that's for sure," Fury Jr. answers. They return to the war room where everyone turns to glare at the new arrivals. Barney and Wade move as far away from possible from them.

"For goodness sakes, they're not that stupid," Emma scoffs.

"Maria and Phil are taking out the targets outside the Tower. Fury Junior over here is out backup at the site," Sarah says plainly.

"Principal Coulson?" Flash questions.

"It's Agent Coulson, Eugene. Sarah, what is he doing here?" Phil questions.

"He came to be the muscle in case anyone tries to sabotage the base crew. When we haven't been planning, Buck has been training him," Sarah explains motioning to Buck who smiles.

"Agent Barnes?" Hill questions.

"Not quite," Natalia says with a smirk. "We're more of the freaks from the Corporation. I think SJ is the most normal out of the bunch. I'm Natalia. And this is Dominique."

"Sarah," Phil growls.

"Later Phil, later. I promise you. Now, down to business. Harry, why don't you brief Agent Coulson and Agent Hill on the teams outside the Tower and also inform them of our planned departure time. Aaron, brief Fury Jr. and go through our plan with him. The first one we all agreed on. SJ, you are with me, Peter, and Natalia. We need to get you in that suit," Sarah says with a confident smile. The team splits up again. The four teens head to the lab where JARVIS is presenting the suit for them. Sarah hands SJ a pair of black pants and a black tank top.

"Why?" SJ asks.

"They'll help you control the suit," Peter answers. "Sarah has the same fabric on the inside of her gauntlet. But the suit in your hand is removable. Get changed." Peter nods and walks into the nearby bathroom.

"Why am I here, Sarah?" Natalia inquires.

"I'd like to get a blood sample from you," Sarah answers.

"Why?"

"Easy, Natasha has green eyes," Peter answers as he kicks back in his chair. "You have blue eyes, though they occasionally look green. Mine and Sarah's guess is that your DNA isn't just Natasha's DNA." Natalia looks at Sarah and the blond nods.

"I just want to know sis. I'm sure you'd like to know too." Natalia thinks for thirty seconds before nodding. Sarah takes out the kit she had prepared and takes a small blood sample. She had already collected samples from Buck and Dominique earlier for factual reasons. She inserts the sample into the spot JARVIS had instructed her. With JARVIS's fast systems, they'd get an answer by the time SJ was suited up. They hear the bathroom flush and wait another two minutes before SJ returns.

"Let's get you suited up, little brother," Sarah says with a smile. She leads him to the changing table and helps him slip on the pants over the uniform.

"Are you going to bake him to death?" Natalia asks in concern.

"No, the bio-suit he's wearing will keep his body temperature down," Sarah answers. "I got a few lessons in the tech from Tony during the summer." She helps SJ put the boots on and motions for Natalia to give her a hand. Sarah holds the chest piece for SJ's suit while Natalia sits SJ down with enough room that the chest piece can attach without issue. Sarah sets it on SJ's chest and he gasps as it latches into his nerves and the suit grow. The gauntlets latch onto his shoulders before going down to his lower arms and locking in place with the repulsor sliding back into the gauntlet to prevent any accidents. The cloth that was normally Sarah's jacket material stretches out across his arms and the non-armored sections of his chest. Sarah takes the helmet from the table. She unlocks the hinge and eases it onto her brother's head. The wall pops behind them to reveal an arc reactor. Peter retrieves it for her and she slides it into place behind the star. The clear screen protecting her brother's face lights up readouts.

"You on board JARVIS?" Sarah inquires.

"Yes ma'am. All energy levels are stable. Shall we try the suit out?" JARVIS inquires.

"We shall. Energy shield first bro, the size of Dad's," Sarah prompts. SJ looks at his arm and the shield appears and forms there. It's light blue with a star in the middle. "Next, repulsor, use this as your target." Sarah shows him a coffee mug that Tony had been unsuccessfully trying to destroy for months. She tosses it toward the other side of the shop and SJ destroys it with one hit. "Very good. Next, test flight, nice and easy little bro." SJ nods and thinks the command. The suit levitates a few inches off the ground before he is doing circles around the lab. "Great, land." He does and removes the helmet.

"That's amazing!" SJ laughs. "I see why Tony likes it!"

"I know. Now, let's join the others so we can get underway," Sarah says looking at the group. They nod and head back to the war room. Fury Jr. and Aaron are talking about the plan agreeing surprisingly. The arrival of the four alerts everyone else to their presence.

"DANG! A mini Iron Man! Did he just have that lying around the lab or what?" Wade laughs. "I mean, damn! Amazing. How's it feel, Squirt?"

"Amazing," SJ answers.

"Sarah, is it the best idea to take him with you?" Coulson inquires.

"If the Avengers want to chew my ass out later, fine. If Fury wants to, well it's my team. So, are we good on plans?" Sarah asks. The group nods in unison. "Good. Coulson, Hill, go get the attack teams off our ass. Nick, get your team in position. You can ride with them or us, your choice. Next, we'll need some food to eat on the way there. So whoever doesn't need to pack shit or get suited up, go fix food, other than Barney. Base team, time to get communications up and running. The satellite should be in place, so start checking the readings and tell us if anything changes. Teams 1, 2, and 3, you have fifteen minutes to be on the elevator to the warehouse, got that?"

"Yes ma'am!"

"Suit up." The team leaves the war room for the most part. Nick Jr. informs her that he'd be coming with her. Phil walks over as Maria goes to get the teams underway.

"Good luck," Phil says hugging her. "Bring them back alive."

"You know it. You be safe too Phil." Sarah walks out and Phil soon copies after talking to the base team. Sarah changes into her uniform before walking into the lab with her gear to retrieve another arc reactor in case Tony's was damaged.

"Ma'am," JARVIS says as Sarah steps inside, "I have fabricated something for you as well."

"What is it?" Sarah inquires. You, Dummy, and Butterfingers come across the room, each one pushing a different rolling cart from a workstation. The three robots stop in front of her and Sarah pats them each with thanks. She picks up the items from the first cart. A second gauntlet and an attachment for the old one.

"These will act as nonlethal weapons," JARVIS reports. "I thought you would like them at your finger tips. The second gauntlet will remains on your arm as your first one does. Once it's on, it can only be broken off." Sarah rolls her eyes before adding the new additions from that tray and moving to the next one. The next piece is a metal piece that reminded Sarah of a cut off tank top. "I would suggest taking off your jacket before applying it." Sarah rolls her eyes and does as JARVIS had suggested. It fuses in and Sarah feels the metal shifting more to merge with some of the metal already on her torso piece. The metal stops moving and Sarah can see that now her torso and shoulders are metal coated. She looks at the spot where the arc reactor is. She sees two spots, one with a white star in the dark red piece and the other a cover. She peels them back to reveal one powered up arc reactor and one on standby.

"The second one can act as a backup for Master Stark's. Lastly, a new helmet piece." Sarah smiles as she picks the piece up. She places the collar piece on the top of her suit and feels the back of the suit move as a red tinted piece like SJ's slides up over her head and locks into place with the metal. She reads the read outs before sending it back in and locking the piece in place.

"Thank you JARVIS," Sarah says with a smile as she puts on her coat over top the armor. The coat was big on her anyway. She sends the repulsors on her palms back into their gauntlets and touches one of the AI robots. "We'll be back JARVIS."

"I trust you to bring them back. Good luck." Sarah walks off in her new suit determined to get her family back.

"So, who rides on which jet?" Luke asks as Sarah arrives in the hanger with Aaron and Barney a few minutes later.

"Eight per jet," Sarah answers. "Fury Jr. is on mine though." All eight X-Men climb onto the X-jet and secure themselves for the trip.

"I'll take the second quinjet, they'll need a pilot," Aaron says looking at Sarah. He kisses her softly on the cheek. "Be careful. Barney, you riding with me?"

"If you want, Aaron." Sarah's eyes narrow as Barney glances at her.

"Luke, Danny, ride with them," Sarah orders. "If Barney does anything sketchy, tell me."

"I'll ride with them," Sam volunteers with a goofy grin.

"I'll watch them," Peter says as he passes Sarah to head to the jet. Something is off about the Spider.

"Pete," Sarah says looking at him, "be careful."

"You know I will. Wade, you in?" Pete asks as he heads for the second quinjet.

"You know it." Wade smiles and walks with Peter into the jet. Buck hugs Dom and Natalia before going to the jet as well. With the groups split up they board the last jet and secure the cargo and personnel. Sarah climbs into the front and puts her headpiece on. She looks over when she hears rustling next to her. Natalia settles into the copilot's seat and puts the headset on.

"Comm. check," Sarah orders.

"This is Cyclops, we're clear here," Cyclops says.

"Bowman at the ready," Aaron answers.

"Coulson, you in position?" Sarah asks as the roof opens up and the three jets start to warm up.

"On your command." Sarah checks her watch.

"Now Coulson. Bowman, Cyclops, follow once I'm clear," Sarah says quickly as the sound of gunfire outside can be heard.

"They're all busy. You're in the clear, alpha team," Harry says over the radio.

"Thanks Harry." The quinjet rises swiftly and into the air. The X-Jet and second quinjet take off and form a V with the first quinjet. The three planes reach altitude and speed up, ready to rescue the Avengers.

* * *

**Sorry for the week late update, I was gone last week. See, my brother and his wife just had a baby and my dad took me down to go see them. We spent a long time there. The baby is really cute. **

**Merry late Christmas. **

**Happy Early New Years. **

**And I'll try to update again this weekend but unfortunately I might be stuck entertaining an annoying aunt. **


	22. Burning

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE AVENGERS OR MARVEL!**

**Sarah: Any clue?**

**Steve: *shakes head* Not a clue. **

**Sarah: *sighs* Fine. Sarge doesn't own anything MARVEL related. **

**Steve: *nods***

**SJ: *walks in* She's hiding in the vents ashamed. If you want the reason, read the author's note. **

* * *

Phil Coulson is a nervous man. Yes he trusted the kids to do the job right and get the job done, but that didn't mean it made it easy for him to send a bunch of kids to do the job that the Avengers should be doing. He shakes his head and looks out the window of the building he was in. He had a clear view of the Avengers Tower entrance and he could watch the action on the street from his position. Even though he can't see her, just inside the door of the Tower hidden by the sensors, is Maria hill and an assault team getting ready for a battle.

"Coulson," Sarah's voice calls over the radios, "you in position and ready?" Phil checks the readouts on the computer in front of him and checks on the other teams around the Tower. The assault teams are ready as are the teams going after the heavy artillery units positioned around the Tower. The sniper teams signal in and get ready to strike the enemy sniper teams.

"On your command," Phil answers still monitoring the situation. He lifts a section of a box next to him to reveal a big red button within. When he pressed that button, the attacks would start.

"Now Coulson." That's all Phil hears of her command as he hits the red button. A single small missile flies forward from his roof to the anti-aircraft weapons truck disguised as a UPS truck. The explosion is magnificent but causes people to run for cover. The enemy assault teams start to panic.

"All teams move! Green light!" Maria shouts into her microphone. Her team goes out into the street and immediately takes out the assault team across the road. That team had been there since before the Avengers had been reported missing. Maria leads the charge shooting her way in. She sprints to the staircase, catches the backup shooters off guard, and kills four of them. She backs off to reload and lets another member of her team come in and take care of them. They clear the building rapidly of any attackers.

"Status Hill?" Coulson questions.

"All clear," Maria replies holstering her pistol.

"Good job. Join the base team upstairs. We don't want any surprises," Coulson says surveying the area below him. He sees Maria run across the street to the Tower and nods in relief. "Teams, sit reps?"

Down the road, a bit a team leader kneels next to an injured team member as one of the others tries to stabilize the man. He puts his hand to his headpiece as he surveys the damage around them.

"We're mostly fine sir but we'll need on med-evac for Agent Carlson," the leader replies. "All the targets are dead, dying or injured and restrained sir." He takes the hand of the injured team member and grips it firmly to give the man some support.

"Med-evac is on its way," Coulson replies sending the medical crew toward the site.

On the other side of the Tower at a small café a ring of men are restrained and knocked out cold. "We good here," the team leader there reports.

Just down the street, another team leader uses the butt of his gun to knock an opponent out cold. "We are all clear," the man says and motions for a member of his team to restrain the man.

Tucked inside an alleyway with a rental truck now shot full of holes, a female team leader surveys the damage around her. "Same here sir."

The sound of repressed gunfire alludes to the fact that the sniper teams are still at work. After a few moments there's dead silence other than flames and sirens.

"All enemy snipers eliminated," the lead sniper reports after a moment.

"We are all clear. Clean up, pack up, and get this taken care of," Coulson orders. Phil rides the elevator down to the ground floor and walks across the road to Stark Tower casually. He meets up with the base team. "Status?" he inquires. Flash looks up from standing behind Harry and MJ.

"Jets got away clear," Flash reports.

"Good, now we have to wait," Coulson mutters. He looks over at Maria who shakes her head. That pit in his stomach is growing.

Miles away and a few thousand feet in the air, Natalia is sitting copilot in the jet with Sarah. Natalia watches as the blond glances at the radar again and comes away with a content sigh. Natalia and Sarah are a few years difference in age before Sarah's trip. Even then, Natalia can vaguely remember Sarah back in the compound even though she'd only been six when they broke out. She remembers Sarah being quiet, never speaking a word while conscious, and being quite reserved in other aspects. On top of that she had been merciless to most and scary on the best of days. If you caught her on a bad day, well there are no words to describe that version of Sarah. Natalia and Sarah had spent their first years sharing the same quarters. Back then the reason was because they were closest in age, but now that Natalia and Sarah know their origins it was because they were sisters not just the age. Natalia glances back at SJ who is leaning against Loki sleeping contently. Ava and Dom are talking about something trivial that Natalia doesn't care about right now. Silently she closes the cockpit off from the others to have a few words with her companion.

"Sarah," Natalia says softly causing the blond to look at the red head before glancing back at the sky in front of them, "did you get the results back?" Sarah glances between Natalia and the sky a few times while working on how exactly to word her answer.

"Half Natasha, half Steve," Sarah informs her. "At the time, they were the only stable samples they had so they tried to combine them. You are the product." Sarah glances at Natalia. Natalia looks down at her hands for a minute thinking about the whole situation. "If it makes you feel better, you're welcome to the family. We're a messed up bunch but we're good. Mom and Dad, they're having a little one and they're getting married soon. I know it's not much consolation for being lied to half the time, bu-."

"I'd love to be your sister," Natalia blurts out looking up at Sarah instantly. Sarah looks over at Natalia in surprise. The teenager is hopeful and perhaps a tiny bit scared. "When we lived…there…I always thought you were as close to a sister as I was going to get, you and Dom. Me and Dom, we've split apart in the last few years. She's been saying that she'd like to go be an assassin somewhere and leave the family. We're not the same anymore," Natalia stammers and fumbles with the hem of her uniform nervously. "I've kept up my training, always wanted to fight and do something good with my talents. When I saw you defend Buck and Dom all those years ago, well, it was nice to see that we had someone to look after us. Personally, I think Dom resents you, just because you were the favorite." Natalia tucks a strand of hair behind her ear.

A silence over takes them for a few moments as Sarah and Natalia both think about how to start the conversation back up. Sarah clears her throat to catch Natalia's attention. Natalia looks up at her older sister with wide blue eyes.

"We spent six years together, Natalia, I considered you family back then, and you're family now. Back then, I had few people I loved. I remember that Christmas when Madden and Sydney got the Corporation to let us have Christmas. I suppose you were too young to remember. You were what, two?" Sarah muses with a smile of happy remembrance. "Buck and Dom locked themselves up in their bedrooms with hot chocolate and cookies refusing to come out for any reason. You three were the only ones that could really talk; I was too traumatized to most of the time. I remember opening some of those meager presents in my room and playing with them. Then Madden brought you in. You were in a goofy one-piece pajama suit with little Captain America marks all over it. Madden set you down while Sydney brought some of your things into my room. That was the day I learned you were moving in," Sarah chuckles fondly at the memory.

"I remember," Natalia says with a small tear in her eye. "It's one of my first memories. I remember seeing this blond little girl that looked so sad when we came in but then when you saw me, you smiled. I tumbled over to your side and cried when I hit my head off the bed. You put me in your lap and rocked me until I felt better. From then on, you were always protecting me." Sarah smiles fondly before wrapping an arm around Natalia shoulders and pulling her closer for a hug.

"Welcome to the family little sister." Natalia hugs Sarah back with a smile. Sarah does the math in her head, Natalia is only 14, but she looks 16 at least. Sarah tells Natalia why she looks so old, to which Natalia asks twenty questions about the war. The red head and the blond talk about their lives after the break out for a long time.

"Jets, land," Sarah orders as she pilots toward the clearing they had designated. The three jets land and Fury's ground troops gather on the edges of the clearing. Fury orders his men to set up a perimeter around the base.

"Now, it's a four and a half mile walk to the compound wall," Sarah says as her teams gather around her. "Once to the wall, team 3 will attack the base. Once we have a clearing, teams 1 and 2 will move in. Understood?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Fury, are you with us or your troops?" Sarah asks.

"I'll join your team 3. I get better reception out there," Nick Jr. says as he motions to the earpiece. Sarah nods and looks at her team one more time.

"Be safe, but kick ass. Let's move out," Sarah says. The three teams split up so there is some space between them as they infiltrate enemy territory. Sarah looks at SJ as they reach the hold line. She glances at her watch.

"Comm. check," Harry's voice says.

"Team three, read you loud and clear," Scott reports.

"Team two, we hear you," Peter reports.

"Team one, we hear you too Harry. What's it look like?" Sarah asks.

"They're due for a guard change in two minutes," Harry answers.

"Gambit, you are clear for infiltration. On my mark, blow it," Scott says firmly. The Cajun sprints forward, his trademark jacket missing since he decided to leave it in the jet for some reason. He holds the fun new toy that Sarah had given him, a high explosive that would be amplified by his powers. The group takes a deep breath as two minutes tic away. Gambit touches one of the poles for the fence, his powers ready to blow that as well. "Now." Gambit throws the charged explosive before charging the pole and running for cover. The pole and the explosive go off as one, the dust going up high into the sky.

"I love mah job!" Gambit laughs as he pulls out his other toys.

"Team three move now," Sarah orders. The outside team enters through the gap. Scott and Alex blow a path straight to the building for them. Johnny flies straight into a group of guards as they go to shoot Danny. Sam spins mid flight and blows the control tower for the airstrip at the compound.

"Fury, send the rain on that airstrip! I don't want any planes taking off that airstrip to attack the outside forces," Sarah snaps.

"On it." Sarah can hear the jets coming in and watches at the airstrip and hanger are blown sky high.

"Teams 1 and 2, move out," Sarah orders. Sarah and Peter lead the charge. An energy shield flies from Sarah's wrist and slams into a man that tries to get a shot off at Barney. Luke charges through the enemy and through the steel door with ease. Peter and Ava leap through the opening and slam their bodies with enough force to break the bones of the enemy they hit. Aaron and Barney let off two arrows to kill two targets at the end of the hallway. Sarah, Natalia, Dom, and Buck open fire with lethal force. SJ sends a repulsor blast down the hallway with surprising accuracy. Wade and Laura rip their blades through guard after guard. Rogue uses her superhuman strength to bust a wall down in one hit. Emma turns to diamond and slams her fist into one of the men's chests.

"Let's move people," Sarah growls leading the way through the door Rogue had created. Luke slams his fists into the next wall only to find out it's hardened metal. Laura steps up and slices through the metal, which Sarah promptly blasts out of their way.

"When did you get repulsors?" Peter questions.

"Uh, five minutes before leaving courtesy of JARVIS," Sarah answers as she steps through. She smiles at the access door to the stairs is revealed on the other side. "All right, team one, you're with me. Team two, do what you have to. We'll be in touch." Sarah looks at Natalia once before heading down the stairs. She collapses her helmet to get a better view of her surroundings. As they reach the level they need, gunshots from above disturb them.

"Shit!" Aaron snarls. Sarah creates a large shield to deflect the bullets aimed at them.

"Dom and I will take care of this," Buck says confidently. "Go get them."

"Thanks Buck." Sarah kisses his cheek and hugs Dom before she leads the rest of the team through the door to the containment level. They reach a door, this door would lead them to the room surrounding the containment room, and the rooms associated with that. Laura attempts to cut through it but the metal consists of a metal her claws don't go through. Sarah tries punching through, but that doesn't work either.

"Bro," Sarah says looking at SJ, "fifteen paces that way, I'll do the same this way. The rest of you, take cover." The group does and Sarah points her repulsor at SJ. "Don't worry bro. Uncle Tony and Rhodey do this from time to time. Ready?" SJ nods and the pair fire at each other. After ten seconds, the resulting explosion blows the door out of their way. Sarah and SJ chuckle at the results. Loki takes lead into the room. Instantly, he's bombarded by bullets that are deflected by his magic. Barney steps up and starts shooting.

"Get to the others! Go!" Barney shouts as the private army at the disposal of Stane comes down on Barney. "Go! I'll keep them busy!" Barney charges into the group and cracks a man's skull off the wall. Sarah and Barney's eyes connect as Laura runs ahead of them. Sarah nods as she sees Barney's silent plea.

"Let's go," Sarah orders. She fires ten shots before reaching the door with the rest of the team. They tried to even out the numbers that Barney was going against, but they had to get the Avengers out first. Laura carves the door open and kicks the metal in. The Avengers look up at them as they enter the room.

"Where's Tony?" Loki demands as he does a quick headcount.

"Stane took him," Natasha says pointing to a door across the room. "He has twenty guards with him."

"Get them free and help the wounded," Sarah orders. She draws her pistol again and loads a new magazine. She uses the boots to fly to the door and opens it slowly. It's a tunnel. She hurries down the tunnel to a long room. The guards are in two lines on either side of Stane and Tony. Zeke has Tony tied to a chair, a noose around his neck, and a water boarding site about ten feet back. Zeke doesn't see Sarah, so she takes the chance. She throws a dagger the distance and cuts the noose line. Zeke looks up sharply.

"Who are you?" Zeke demands.

"Your worst fucking nightmare," Sarah snarls. She doesn't hold back. She lets the training take over. The shots are all kills. She turns to Zeke, prepared to kill him with a new magazine. He holds Tony's head back while holding a gun to Tony's arc. She levels the gun as Zeke tries to hide behind Tony.

"You wouldn't risk killing Tony would you?" Zeke questions.

"I'm not that stupid," Sarah says simply. Zeke's face freezes as the dagger she had thrown spins back and slices his head off. "You just fell for it." She holsters the gun and summons the dagger back. Brunnhilde's uru dagger came in handy. The room starts to fill with water from flood tubes as Sarah reaches Tony.

"Sarah?" Tony says vaguely.

"Hey, how you doing Tony?" Sarah asks slicing the restraints off.

"Bad, and to top it off, I'm blind," Tony says looking in the direction of her voice.

"Okay Tony, I want you to stick your arms out, okay?" Sarah says moving in front of him. Tony does and Sarah wraps his arms around her neck. She grabs him under the knees and picks Tony up. The billionaire yelps in pain. "Sorry Tony."

"It's all right. Who all is here?"

"Too many to list right now. Hold on," Sarah says as she activates the boots. They fly down the tunnel back to the door. She flies across the room to a cot that was in the room. She lays Tony down and checks his arc reactor. It flickers and Sarah can see the damage. She quickly changes it out and puts the old one in her suit chest.

"Sarah, we need a hand over here!" Aaron says. Sarah runs over as Bobbi and Janet take care of Tony. SJ pulls against Steve's chains but they won't break. Laura tries to cut them but fails as well.

"I don't trust myself to do it right," SJ says looking at his sister. Sarah nods and kneels next to her father.

"Might burn slightly Dad." She activates the repulsor on her right hand and makes the beam smaller, like a laser. She quickly cuts the two wrist cuffs off followed by the two ankle cuffs. Clint's chains hadn't been reinforced like Steve's.

"Your weapons?" Sarah asks looking at Steve.

"Found the weapons!" Loki shouts from across the room. He opens a door wide to reveal of the gear there. "Took a bit to get the door open."

"Loki, Aaron, distribute the weapons. JARVIS, you there?" Sarah asks.

"As always ma'am," JARVIS replies.

"Bring the Iron Man armor to Tony's cot. If we can get him inside of it, we can get the suit to safety," Sarah says firmly. The suit goes to Tony's side and Janet helps the billionaire stand up so the suit can reattach itself to Tony. Rhodey dawns the War Machine armor with a smile. Aaron hands Clint his bow and quiver.

"Let's get the hell out of here," Clint says firmly. Laura supports her slightly disoriented father while Bruce quickly hulks out as his anger gets the best of him.

"How did you recover so fast?" Steve questions.

"Tolerance," Hulk answers before jumping up and through the levels of the building to go smash. Bucky carries Carol while Jen hulks out and follows her cousin. SJ supports his mother as they walk out. Sarah surveys the damage Barney had done. Her eyes widen as she sees the oldest archer stumbling toward them.

"Shit! Dad!" Aaron yells and nearly drops Clint when he sees Barney. Sarah sprints forward and catches the older archer. Barney slips toward the floor and Sarah eases him down, holding him. There's too much blood. He looks at her.

"You reunited me with my family. Thank you."

"Barney?" Clint stammers.

"Hey, little brother," Barney coughs. Blood splatters Clint's clothes as Barney coughs. Clint falls to his knees next to his brother, as does Aaron. Barney puts his hand on Clint's shoulder. "You raise my boy good, got it? He's strong like you. He's a good boy, Clint. Just needs a good father."

"Barney," Clint practically whimpers.

"I'll be all right, little brother. Aaron, you be strong and never become me, okay? And you treat Lady Star properly or I'll haunt your ass," Barney says with a cough. He grips Clint's shoulder and the moves his hand to his son's hand and grips that. "Goodbye, son." Barney's eyes flutter for a moment before slipping closed.

"Dad? DAD!" Aaron cries.

"Barney! Damn it! You can't be dead again!" Clint yells as he wraps an arm around Aaron. Sarah looks at Clint and Aaron before looking at Tony.

"JARVIS, you're auto-piloting Tony's suit, right?" Sarah questions.

"Yes ma'am."

"JARVIS, you pick up Barney, you fly Tony out of the Hulk's sunlight, and you take them back to the jet. You keep them there," Sarah orders.

"Yes ma'am."

"I don't want to leave the team," Tony protests.

"Tony, you're blind. You need to be safe. Besides, I promised Pepper I'd bring you home safe, and I'll be damned if I go back on my word," Sarah growls. She lifts Barney's body into Iron Man's arms and watches as the suit pilot's off. "We'll bury him later. Right now, we have a battle to survive." The Barton boys nod before standing. Steve looks at Sarah as she stands up. She looks at the blood-covered jacket. All her things were stored in the armor piece already and the jacket was torn. She takes it off and burns it using the repulsor.

"When'd you get the upgrade?" Hank Pym asks.

"A few hours ago," Sarah answers. The group walks back to the stairwell.

"Dom! Dom! Dominique don't you dare die on me!" Buck's voice yells from up the staircase. Sarah and SJ exchanged glances before Sarah rockets up the staircase. A group of soldiers is coming toward Buck as he huddles over Dominique. Sarah opens fire with her repulsors before joining Buck. Dominique's eyes flutter open as Sarah checks the chest wound.

"It was good to see you again, Sarah. Take care of Buck and Natalia for me," Dom breathes softly. Sarah nods and watches as her eyes stop moving along with her chest. Buck sobs as he clings to her cooling body. The rest of the team arrives to see the sight. Sarah closes Dom's eyes slowly before smoothing her hair to the side. SJ leans into Loki for support. Sarah looks up at the doorway that led outside. Murder is evident in her face.

"Bring her," Sarah says to Buck. She stands and makes her way to the door. "SJ, Aaron, get them outside of the compound and stay with Dad."

"What are you going to do?" Bobbi asks.

"Make sure the rest of my team doesn't die," Sarah answers plainly throwing the door open. Sarah walks out into the twilight surrounding the base. Fires explode from across the compound. She sprints to a building on the far side of the compound and breaks in. She climbs the staircase to the power generator.

"JARVIS connect me to all allied comm. links," Sarah orders.

"Done ma'am."

"SHIELD, Avengers teams, get clear of the compound now. You have one minute," Sarah says sternly. She walks to the control panel and starts to alter the outputs. "Team leaders; alert me when all are clear." She waits twenty seconds at the last lever.

"All SHIELD teams are clear," Nick Jr. reports.

"All Avengers teams are clear," Wade reports. "Sarah, get out of there."

"I have one thing left to do." She walks up the staircase to the top of the generator. She takes the broken arc reactor and powers it up. She puts it on self-destruct mode and drops it into the center of the reactor as the generator starts to melt down.

"Sarah, I'm reading high levels from the power generator," Rhodey says as Sarah walks to the last lever again. "You need to get out of there!" Sarah grips the last lever and throws it up silently. "SARAH! YOU HAVE LESS THAN TEN SECONDS! GET THE HELL OUT OF THERE!"

"Shut up Rhodey. I won't clear the blast radius," Sarah snarls as she blasts the wall out and takes off in flight. She makes it fifty yards before the building explodes. The flames and wreckage hit her just as she orders JARVIS to cut the communications. Only part of her helmet is on as the fire hits her, so her cheeks become burned before the helmet can seal her off from the fire. She flies through the air from her repulsors and the explosion. She feels the burning sensation through the suit. Chunks of debris hit her and she hears bones breaking. Then it all stops as she hits something. She hears repulsors kick on high and a yelp of pain. She lets the darkness over take her for a few moments.

"MEDIC!" frantic voices shout. "I got her son." Sarah feels her body shifting and cries out in pain.

"SJ? SJ!" Sarah's eyes snap open at the frantic calling of SJ's name. She looks to see Natasha lowering SJ to the ground. He's pale and a hole in the back of his suit catches Sarah's attention. She rolls out of her dad's arms and lands on the ground. She crawls to the brother and rips SJ's torso piece off. He gasps for air frantically so she removes his helmet easing his breathing. She collapses her helmet back in.

"You shouldn't have," Sarah whispers smoothing his hair.

"You're my sister, I'd die for you," SJ groans. "I forgot what it felt like," he takes a deep shaky breath, "to have metal in my body."

"Shush, you'll be fine," she insists. She kisses his forehead with her cracked lips. "I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for." SJ's eyes flutter and he slips into unconsciousness.

"SJ! SJ!" Sarah shouts. Steve grabs her and pulls her back. She screams out in pain as her body is moved. Two stretchers come over, one taking SJ and the other for Sarah. "I killed my little brother," Sarah whimpers as Steve lays her down. "I killed him." One of the medics shoots her with something powerful enough to knock her unconscious. Steve looks at the medic treating his son.

"He'll be fine," the medic says. Steve looks at Natasha.

"Sis! SIS!" Natalia shouts running forward. She stares at Sarah in shock. "No, please, don't take her from me too!" Natalia cries. Buck hurries forward and holds Natalia close as they wheel Sarah to a SHIELD med-evac jet along with the other wounded or dead.

"Fury wants us all back on the helicarrier," Fury Jr. reports. "They're half way to our location now."

"Peter, it's Harry," Ava says holding a cell phone out to Peter.

"Peter, our communications went down and there was an explosion at your location. What's happened?!" Harry demands.

"Have Coulson bring you to the helicarrier," Peter tells him. "It's going to be a long night." Peter hangs up and walks to his jet silently. This wasn't how this should have ended. It wasn't even close.

* * *

**Well, it's been like a month since I updated this. And I think this chapter is incredibly barren. I wanted to rewrite it but I just couldn't take the time. See I started a new job, don't have all that time anymore. Anyway, I had a friend read it, she said her heart broke and it was good enough to submit. So here you go.**

**Any way, the next chapter is so Mary-Sue-ish it's ridiculous but I can't exactly kill of Sarah now can I? **

**Review please. **


	23. On the Mend or in the Ground

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE AVENGERS OR MARVEL!**

**Loki: She's still missing. **

**Steve: *shakes head* I don't know how to get her to come out. **

**Sarah: *walks over and whispers in Steve's ear***

**Steve: *blushes* Wow. Loki, you can make her come out. **

**Loki: How?" **

**Sarah: *whispers in Loki's ear.* **

**Loki: *grins* Okay, she'll be with me for a while. *disappears***

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**AN: Thanks for the two reviews I got last chapter! Here's another one. **

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The helicarrier is currently sitting in the water outside of New York Harbor. After receiving all the jets, the helicarrier had landed so the flight deck could be open for the transportation of the wounded and the dead. Steve had been cleared by a medic almost instantly. While the others were still doing their checkups, he changed into some of his clothes he kept on the carrier and headed toward the morgue. Steve silently opens the door up to find that the room isn't full of just the dead. A tallish man with brown hair stands there. He stands next to the woman that Sarah had cried for. The table next to that holds Barney Barton. Other tables hold five SHIELD agents that had died during transport from their wounds. The number of dead was better than anyone could have hoped for.

Steve walks over to Barney Barton. The man's red hair sets him apart from his younger brother, but you can tell they're brothers. Steve notes that Clint's old bow, one that he had broken in a battle, is wrapped in Barney's hands with the words _You will always be my brother _carved into it.

"Agent Coulson dropped that off," the man next to the woman says looking up at Steve, "said it was from Agent Clint Barton, his brother. I didn't know the man long, but from what I saw, from his actions, he stopped hating his brother a long time ago, he just didn't know how to show it." Steve looks over at the man to see he's a slightly younger version of Bucky. "Buck Barnes, sir," he says holding his hand out.

"Captain Steve Rogers," Steve replies shaking the man's hand. "You were part of the rescue team."

"Yes, Sarah recruited myself, Dom, and Natalia," Buck answers. "I should have known she'd pull something stupid. Both of Sarah and Dom." Buck brushes Dom's hair from her face and places a rose in her hand. "This is Dominique Madden," Buck says folding Dominique's other hand over the one holding the rose, "she was like a sister to me, to Natalia, and even to Sarah. I don't know how I'm going to tell Dominique's father."

"How do you know my daughter?" Steve asks cautiously. Buck looks up at him and then at Dom again. He pulls the jacket on Dom closer to her neck and smoothes it down.

"We're all the Corporation's creations. Dominique was the Doctor's daughter they changed her after birth. Natalia, Sarah, SJ, and I, we're all clones of different people," Buck says softly. Buck looks up at Steve. "I am the clone of James Barnes from after he was given the Infinity Formula, making him age slower. So, that's locked away in my DNA like the serums in Natalia, Sarah and SJ. I'm sure Sarah never mentioned us to you; I was surprised she remembered us when she came to get us earlier." Steve's eyebrow lifts up at this comment as Steve walks around Barney's body to stand next to Buck.

"What makes you say that?" Steve inquires.

"Sarah was eight when we tried to escape. She and Doctor Sydney didn't make it. They killed Sydney. Doctor Madden got away with Dom, Natalia, and me. I'm sure they beat the hell out of Sarah for trying to run. She's what, twenty now?" Buck muses. "Weird to have your little sister older than you."

"I still look at her like she's sixteen. She still goes to school," Steve tells him. "Will you and Natalia return to Doctor Madden now?"

"Sarah extended to Natalia a place within the family," Buck informs Steve. "To my knowledge, Natalia is the clone of Natasha Romanoff, you're fiancée. The two of them are very close."

"How old is Natalia?"

"Fourteen. She and Sarah shared quarters growing up," Buck tells Steve. Steve's head snaps up at the word "quarters".

"Quarters?" Steve asks.

"Yes. We had a small wing in the compound. Each child had a room, but they moved Sarah and Natalia in when Natalia was two. Why?" Steve sits down on a stool in shock. Sarah did have some normalcy and then she was made into that monster locked away in a cage. "Captain Rogers?"

"When we found Sarah," Steve says with a very shaky voice, "she was locked away in a cage, walled in darkness. She was underfed, she was severely beaten, she could barely speak, and none of her sentences were proper. She feared we'd take away the food we had given her." Steve looks up at him. "She clung to me like I was her life line. I know for a fact she is the reason that the people that made her are now dead."

"Her clone brothers as well?" Buck inquires to which Steve nods. "I always figured she would be the one to take them down. They may have favored her, but they hurt her the worst since she could physically take it. She was forced to execute a disobedient guard when she was four years old. The horror on her face when she killed him, I still have nightmares." Buck notices how green Steve looks. "Are you all right, sir?"

"I'm fine. Sarah avoids talking about her past as much as possible so this is all new to me," Steve explains. Steve looks up at Buck with sincerity in his eyes. "You are welcome to the family. Have you told Bucky that you're his clone?" Steve inquires.

"Didn't have the courage," Buck chuckles. "I'm terrified about how he's going to react."

"Tell him. I'll talk to Tony about getting you a room, and one for Natalia, how does that sound?" Steve asks him.

"That sounds very good, sir. Thank you." Buck smiles sincerely. "I should go check on Natalia."

"I'm headed to the infirmary as well. I'll join you." The two walk through the halls silently. They open the doors to the infirmary's large area where everyone had been pushed after they had landed. Loki spots them when they enter and hurries over.

"Where is Thor?" Steve asks Loki.

"In Asgard mending," Loki answers. "Steve, SJ wants you. He's right over there." Loki points to a room and Steve thanks him. Buck looks down at Loki. "Natalia is in that room as well."

"Thank you Loki," Buck says with a sad smile.

"She is fine. She has a broken wrist and a small head injury," Loki says to stifle his fears. "She wishes to see you as well." Buck nods and walks toward the room. Harry walks in with MJ, Gwen, and Flash while being escorted by Agent Coulson and Agent Hill. Director Fury is already in the infirmary talking with his son about what has happened. Behind them come the rest of the Fantastic Four, Pepper, Betty, and Darcy who came in Jane's place.

"Loki, what's happened?" Gwen asks. Loki motions them into the conference room so they're not in the way.

"There are injured and dead alike. Among the dead are Barney and Dominique. They died in battle," Loki informs them. "Most of the others are injured. I know that Ava and Danny are being checked for head injuries, they went through a few walls. Sam and Luke are sleeping by order of the medical staff. Peter's got a bullet wound to leg, but he'll be fine. He's sleeping it off right now. Johnny is passed out, seems he ran right into one of Bobby's ice blasts so he'll be out for a while. Bobby has a fractured wrist from when he landed wrong. Uh, Emma, Scott, Alex, and Jubilee are fine, as are Gambit and Rogue. Laura is fine, she's hovering over her dad who is fine as well. Steve is fine. Natasha and Bobbi are being checked over since they're both with child.

"Uh, the Pyms are fine, a few bruises but they're pretty good. Clint's got a bullet wound to the shoulder and has to wear a sling since he's mending from a dislocated shoulder. Bruce and Jennifer are fine. Carol is sleeping her tranquilizer off, she was awake for a little but not for long. The only other ones that are injured beyond a broken bone would be Sarah, SJ, and Tony," Loki continues, "the rest are mostly fine."

"What's wrong with Tony?" Pepper cries.

"Sarah?" Flash questions.

"SJ?!" Sue screeches.

"Tony's currently in a drug induced sleep. He's got multiple fractured and bruised ribs. He was water boarded so they're removing the liquid. He has bruising from an attempted strangulation. He's temporarily blind they're calling it conversion disorder. It should go away within a few days to a few weeks. He's lucky he's only experiencing the blindness. He has a sprained wrist and a sprained ankle. There's bruising on about 80% of his body. The doctors say that his internal organs are a little sore but fine. He'll make a full recovery," Loki tells Pepper. Sue, Betty, and Darcy catch Pepper before she can fall. The red head is lowered into a chair and told to stay put.

"Where's Thor?" Darcy asks.

"In Asgard mending. He should be back in a few weeks. Sif probably won't let him leave for at least a week after he has mended," Loki informs them.

"SJ, what about him?" Sue asks.

"SJ took a metal reinforcement cable through the back. It missed any lethal areas and nicked an organ, but he'll make a full recovery as well. It missed his spine by over two inches. JARVIS is trying to figure out how it got through his suit; the metal his chest piece is made from shouldn't have made it possible for that to get through. We're thinking it might have something to do with the explosion," Loki tells the group. The group is silent for a few moments.

"What about Sarah?" Flash asks again. Loki looks at the floor hesitantly. "Loki?"

"She was severely injured," Loki answers. The whole group is shocked and has to sit down around the conference table. "Her suit took the brunt of the explosion but it was a very intense explosion. She probably wouldn't have made it if SJ hadn't flown in to help get her out."

"How bad?" MJ asks softly.

"I don't know if you want to hear it," Loki says scratching the back of his neck.

"HOW BAD IS SHE!" Pepper cries out. Loki sits down and puts his head in his hands for a moment.

"She's in surgery at the moment. They're trying to remove the parts of her suit that have been fused to her skin by the explosion. She has a broken leg, multiple broken ribs, a broken collarbone, a dislocated shoulder, some head trauma, a fractured wrist, and too many lacerations to count, along with severe burns across a good deal of her body where her suit had melted away. Her heart has stopped twice, the doctors finally got her out of shock twenty minutes ago, and they had to put her on a breathing tube because her lungs weren't working properly," Loki says. "The doctors say that the serum is what's keeping her alive right now. It's amazing she was able to move earlier when she woke up and found out SJ was injured."

Loki takes another break in his explanation. "The doctors are also worried there was some psychological damage as well." The whole group looks up at him with worried expressions. "An old friend of hers died in front of her, as did Barney Barton. Along with this, she believes that SJ was killed as of when she slipped into unconsciousness. We won't know for a while. Once they're done with the surgery, she'll likely be put in a medically induced coma for a week or two while the burns heal. We're not even sure how long it will take to heal these wounds."

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Reed asks.

"Pray," Loki answers. "Excuse me, I have to go help the nurses. With this many wounded, they're incredibly understaffed." Loki walks out of the room and everyone looks at each other. Pepper starts sobbing uncontrollably at the fact that Tony was hurt. It's less than five minutes later when Janet comes in and shows Pepper to his room. Three hours later, the conference room door opens again to reveal two people, Aunt May and Doctor Madden, being ushered in by Bruce Banner.

"Bruce!" Betty cries and jumps into his arms. Betty holds him close and Bruce hugs her back. "I was so worried."

"I know, Betty. I'm sorry I scared you. I'm fine, really. I'm here to talk to you all about damage repair, give you an update on the wounded, and what the outlook looks like for now. Director Fury will have food brought down in a bit," Bruce explains. The door opens again and soon Steve, the X-Men (including Logan), Wade, Jennifer, both Pyms, Clint, Bobbi, and Aaron, Johnny, the super crew, including Peter who is in a wheel chair, Buck and Natalia, Scott with little Cassie clinging to his leg, Rhodey, Bucky, Coulson, and Loki walk into the room. Folding chairs are taken out and set up around the room as Bruce walks to the smart screen at the head of the oval like table. Aunt May hugs Peter tightly as Madden hugs Natalia and Buck. Once everyone is settled, the room goes deathly quiet.

"As you can see, most of the previously stated are with us. Carol is still sleeping off her tranquilizers. They hit her with more doses than the rest. SJ is currently resting with Natasha by his side. The cable in his torso was removed and he'll mend fairly quickly. His suit didn't melt, luckily," Bruce says. Steve looks away at the thought of his children. He had failed to protect them, that was on him.

"Doctor Madden, I'm sure you've realized the absence of Dominique. I'm sorry to inform you that your daughter was killed in the rescue mission. If you do not have funeral plans arranged for her, Miss Potts has informed me that she will take care of them. Mr. Stark has a large group of plots set off in a cemetery that he's using for those associated with the Avengers and family to be buried in. It's like a family cemetery for the Avengers," Bruce explains.

"I would like that very much. That would me she would one day lie in the same ground as Sarah and SJ," Doctor Madden says somberly. "I can pay for the funeral expenses."

"You can talk to Miss Potts later about that. Barney Barton will also be buried in that cemetery. For those of you that wish to attend the funeral, Clint will give you the information within the next few days," Bruce informs the group.

"It's Saturday," Clint says softly. The group nods silently and Clint clears his throat to continue. That gave the group two days. "SHIELD is taking care of it as we speak." Aaron leans over into Clint and Clint wraps an arm around his nephew. Bobbi sets a hand on his knee as Aaron tries to stay strong. The door opens again and they look up to see Pepper there. There are fresh tear streaks on her face but she wipes them away before taking a seat next to Steve.

"Pep?" Bruce asks cautiously.

"Tony wanted me to come. The stubborn pig head woke up and told me to come here when Natasha came in to tell me about the meeting. The doctor put him back to sleep," Pepper says. "But we did talk about one thing before he was put back under. We're moving the wedding until next month when he'll be in better condition to walk down the aisle."

"Pepper, do you think you could have your assistant cancel our wedding as well?" Steve inquires. "With SJ and Sarah's conditions, and everyone else's, we have to put it off at least a month."

"I'll have my assistant move yours just like ours Steve. Don't worry, I already had that planned," Pepper says squeezing Steve's hand.

"Thank you Pepper."

"That leads me up to my updates of Tony and Sarah," Bruce says looking at the group. "Tony is suffering from conversion disorder, but with some therapy which might just be him talking to us, it should go away within a matter of weeks. It's not a physically caused disorder. He has four fractured ribs, a sprained wrist and ankle, and he's bruised all over, but give him a month and he'll be in perfect health for his body."

"Thank God," Janet says squeezing Pepper's shoulder.

"What about Sarah? They won't talk to me," Steve says looking at Bruce. Bruce looks at the table and then back at Steve.

"You mind if I bring up a body scan, Steve?" Bruce asks to which Steve motions for him to bring it up.

"We're a team and family, they have the right to know," Steve states.

"Bruce, how bad is it?" Bucky asks.

"Bad. We should have known she was going to do something reckless after that comment," Bruce says with a sigh. "The serum and the doctors are the only things keeping her alive."

"What exactly happened? We're in the dark here," Reed says.

"Sarah caused the melt down of their reactor/generator system," Harry answers. "We saw that part."

"From what JARVIS showed from the internal video, she used Tony's broken arc reactor to give that melt down it's extra push for the explosion. The compound was pretty well destroyed," Bruce says. He puts the body scan to the side and brings up the satellite view. "Watch this building." He points to the reactor building. They watch as a figure runs in and the retreat of the SHIELD and Avengers teams starts to unfold. The compound forces start to pursue. But that's when the wall blast out of the building and Sarah's form can be seen flying through. The building explodes and the fire catches up to Sarah quickly. Another form flies toward the flames, grabs Sarah, and rockets to the clearing. The blast radius was the whole compound, which was a mile in diameter.

"Sarah blew the place up knowing that the private army would chase us," Luke says dumbfounded.

"She's smart Luke," Peter shoots back.

"That was SJ flying in and saving her, wasn't it?" Pepper asks.

"Yes it was. Sarah outfitted him with gear to keep him safe. It's a simplified Iron Man suit," Bruce tells her. "JARVIS gave her a variant of the one on SJ. We're trying to figure out why the two suits acted differently to the explosion and the debris at the moment."

"Good god, how did the kids get involved?" Aunt May questions.

"Sarah planned a rescue team," Coulson answers. "She's quite protective of her family. Bruce, her injuries?"

"That's where it gets a bit tricky," Bruce says pulling the scans up. "We don't know how long the serum will take to heal her body with these extensive injuries." Bruce highlights some areas. "These marks in gold on her bones, they represent breaks."

"No way. No way in hell she can have that many! She's a super soldier! SHE HAD ON ARMOR!" Wade shouts.

"We're still working on it," Bruce says. "She has six broken ribs; we've determined they're from the armor being suddenly stopped when SJ caught her. However, it might have been a large slab of concrete as well. Along with the ribs, she's broken both collarbones. She also has a broken leg and a fractured wrist. Luckily, all of these breaks were clean. We've wrapped her ribs, alleviated the tension on her shoulders, and thanks to JARVIS's data banks, added an attachment to her gauntlet for the wrist."

"How long would those take to heal?" Bobbi asks.

"Well, the collarbone and the leg are normally the longest breaks to heal. In a typical person, the collarbone takes three to eight weeks to get back to normal and the leg would take ten to twenty-four weeks to get back to normal. However, we are talking about Sarah here so, we don't know honestly," Bruce answers.

"One month at her slowest normal healing rate," Doctor Madden tells Bruce. "She's had similar injuries before. One month. Make sure she gets a lot of milk, it will help the bones strengthen again."

"Thank you Doctor, we were going to ask you later to help us with Sarah's case," Bruce says.

"I will gladly. I know the children inside and out for their anatomy."

"Bruce, the other injures," Steve prompts.

"I'm getting to that Steve. Sarah sustained a dislocated shoulder; we suspect debris causing this along with the head trauma. However, the head trauma is already clearing up. Is there an explanation, Doctor Madden?" Bruce asks.

"Yes, naturally the body will go after the most important things first, the head and major organs," Madden answers.

"Seen it before?" Logan asks dryly.

"Yes," Buck and Natalia answer in unison.

"You three and I will be having a talk later," Steve says to the three that know everything about the Corporation and Sarah's early childhood.

"Steve, they're trying to help," Hank says.

"Bruce, continue," Steve orders. Bruce changes the screen and it highlights points on her torso, lower legs, shoulders, and neck area. They're all lines or little sections of color.

"These lines are where the metal was fused to her skin," Bruce says pointing to the sections. "We successfully removed all the pieces other than her gauntlets, as usual. The gauntlets were the only metals that weren't affected by the heat."

"I might have an explanation," Loki says causing the group to look at him. "They're Asgardian. I seem to recall my brother asking the dwarves for some metal for Tony about a year ago."

"That was about the time that he started to design her suit," Steve comments.

"That answers my question," Bruce mutters. "We had to surgically remove the metal ring from where the arc reactor in her chest piece was but other than that, they came off easily."

"She survived this?" May questions.

"It's unbelievable," Scott Lang agrees.

"That's not the worst of it folks," Bruce says bringing up another scan. This scan shows red on her arms, parts of her face and neck, as well as her legs and fingers.

"I'm going to be sick," Rogue says and hurries to the garbage can.

"These are all the burns," Bruce says motioning to the screen. "The heat burned her suit, which is partial metal, right off or melted it to her skin in some spots. Doctor, how long do you estimate for healing?"

"Mostly likely two weeks with her healing factors," Madden responds.

"There are also multiple lacerations and small impacts from debris. She's on life support right now. She's get a breathing tube in right now. Her heart has stopped four times before either we shock it back or it kicks back on. She's no longer in shock, which is good for her healing. However, there are two pressing issues," Bruce says looking around at the faces of the group.

"The first is the damage to her mental state. Between both deaths and thinking her brother is dead because of her, we're afraid that she's not mentally stable right now. Ms. Frost was kind enough to try to evaluate her and her mind was so turbulent that Ms. Frost couldn't get a reading. However, this means that her brain is working. There's always hope on that front," Bruce says with a sigh. He turns the screen off and sits down.

"The last issue is her state of unconsciousness. It's been one hour since we brought her out of surgery, there should be some sign that she's off the medication. There's none. She in an unexplainable coma," Bruce says in a calm but worried voice. "Since the discovery, we've put her on pain medication and the second we see any evidence she might be waking up, if her burns aren't healed, we'll put her under. The pain from those burns will be overwhelming. For now, there's nothing to do but wait."

Bruce whistles and the door opens. Nick Jr. walks in with a box of folders and sets them on the table in front of Bruce.

"Thank you Nick. Tell the cafeteria to send the carts down in about twenty minutes," Bruce says. Nick Jr. nods and leaves the room. Bruce hands out the folders to each person. "As of right now, that's our game plan. For now, it's going to be said that Harry, MJ, Gwen, and Flash are at a special program along with Peter, Luke, Ava, Dan, Sam, Aaron, Loki, and Sarah. In two days, the school will be notified that there was an accident on the bus for the program and the teens are in a private hospital recovering until an undisclosed time. Your parents have been given the necessary information on the matter and have agreed that you may stay with us for the time being. We need to debrief you at least.

"SHIELD has taken care of any other issues for the adults. Director Fury is cleaning things up for us. He knows that this matter is quite stressful on all of us," Bruce says looking at each person in the room. "Miss Potts was kind enough to contact the resort we stayed at over New Years. They're closing down for an undisclosed time and SHIELD is converting some parts of the resort into a medical center and sending gear there for us. The teens and some Avengers team will be moving there for the time being. SHIELD is sending a building crew to make a second building for any training to be done as well as to store our belongings. Miss Parker you are invited to come as well and SHIELD will take care of things here in New York. There's more information in the folders. If you'll excuse me, I have to go make rounds," Bruce says before leaving the room.

The group is silent for a number of minutes, some reading the files, others just thinking. Doctor Madden excuses himself to talk to Doctor Banner. Natalia and Buck go to sit with SJ since they don't want anyone in Sarah's room quite yet. Betty and Darcy help Pepper back to Tony's side. The X-Men give their best to the Avengers before leaving the helicarrier. The Professor wants them back as soon as possible so they leave after saying goodbye to everyone. Laura stops by Sarah's room and looks in the window. She puts her hand to the glass as she looks at her friend. Logan sets a hand on her shoulder and leads her away.

Johnny and the Fantastic Four take off for home after saying their goodbyes. Johnny visits SJ briefly for a few moments before leaving with his team. Wade visits SJ and wishes the kid well. He then walks over to Sarah's window and shakes his head slowly. The kid shouldn't have done something that stupid. Coulson gives him a ride down to the New York airport since Coulson was headed there to pick up bags from the teens parents. The majority of the reason Harry, MJ, Gwen, and Flash were staying were the fact that they knew who the Avengers and family were, they knew what happened, and they would worry about them until Sarah came back. That and they weren't sure Flash would be able to remain silent. Scott Lang returns home with Cassie thanks to a ride from the Pyms. Rhodey went back to work after visiting Pepper and Tony. They then put Rhodey on leave for two weeks. He ended up going to help with the preparations at the lodge. Carol finally awakens and is immediately ordered to take the rest of the week off before coming back to work. Bobbi stays close to Clint's side as he worries about anything and everything. Jen helps out as much as she can. A transport takes the super crew and May back to New York to get their things before they return to the helicarrier.

Aaron walks to the morgue and sits at his father's side for two hours before they take the body away to be embalmed. He then walks and sits outside Sarah's room watching her vigilantly until Natasha manages to pull him away to eat some food. Loki goes to Asgard to be with Thor and inform the Thunder God of the fate of his friends.

Doctor Madden walks up to Bruce as he examines some of Sarah's latest results. Bruce looks up at the Doctor and hands him the results to read. Madden reads the papers over before motioning Bruce to follow him. They end up in a small office bedroom unit that they had given Madden for his stay. Madden takes out a case from the closet and sets it on the desk. He pulls out a small container of fluid. He hands it to Bruce who reads the tag.

"Serum enhancer?" Bruce questions.

"Sarah's serum, it's degrading," Madden informs Bruce. Madden sits down and pulls out a few more folders. "This was all I was able to steal from the Corporation when I left. According to Sarah, they never fixed her. She wasn't supposed to start experiencing the symptoms until she was 18, but she was thrown back in time so that probably explains why they've emerged. My guess is that the symptoms appeared while she was in the past and they used Steve's blood to treat her. It is logical that you will find the answer in his blood, but I couldn't get the cure to work properly. It would always do something I didn't anticipate."

"This will help?" Bruce confirms.

"I gave her a shot of it when she came and got the kids. It would last her three months. That shot I modified after she left. I figured she would end up injured. That will help increase her healing abilities. So it could bring her healing down to two or three weeks over all. I'm hoping that since yourself and Stark are smarter than I am, that you might be able to come up with the solution to save Sarah," Madden states.

"She's known about this for how long?" Bruce inquires.

"I told her when she was a child. They would have used a cure as blackmail to get her to work for the Corporation. They were working on it when I left. She knows about it now. She probably doesn't want to worry you all. I trust you to keep it between yourself and Stark," Madden says.

"I should go administer this to her," Bruce says pocketing the vial.

"Here, take the files. I have copies." Bruce takes the files from the man. "I see Sarah as my grandchild, Doctor Banner. Please, take care of her."

"I will. Thank you for your help, Doctor Madden. If you'll excuse me." Madden nods and watches Bruce leave. Madden knows that Sarah is in good hands now.

"What are you doing Bruce?" Steve asks as he comes to Sarah's window to see the doctor about to enter the room.

"Just giving her some medicine, Steve," Bruce says. Bruce had tested some of the liquid and confirmed it to be what Madden had said. He quickly injects the liquid into her IV and closes the door to the room.

"What type of medicine?" Steve asks.

"Doctor Madden gave it to me. I tested it. It temporarily increases healing abilities in her serum. It'll help decrease the time it will take for her to heal," Bruce tells him.

"That's good," Steve says softly. "I'm worried for her, Bruce."

"I know. We all are. Have you picked a new wedding date?" Bruce inquires.

"Yeah, Pepper's assistant schedule my wedding for March 1st and Stark is getting married a week after. We may need to alter the dresses some," Steve says more to himself than to Bruce.

"Well, as long as you still get married," Bruce chuckles. "Go get some rest Steve, we'll keep an eye on her." Steve nods and walks away. He enters his son's medical room. It's a little after noon now. The rest of Avengers and company had gone off places, most of them to sleep. Natasha sits next to SJ as he sleeps. She rubs her son's hand while tears run down her face.

"Sweetheart, hey," Steve says kneeling next to Natasha, "why are you crying again?"

"What if she doesn't wake up, Steve? SJ will be devastated! And not to mention the new baby and Natalia," Natasha cries. "Natalia, Steve," Natasha looks at her fiancé seriously, "she's not my clone. She's our baby." Steve stares at her. "She told me that Sarah did a test and Peter confirmed it. She's ours. It explains why she has your eyes and not mine." Steve sits down on the floor down. He hadn't been expecting to hear that.

"She's our baby?" Steve questions.

"She is," Natasha confirms. Steve sits there in stunned silence for well over a minute. He hadn't been expecting that. "Buck told me you offered them a home."

"Yeah. They knew Sarah back before we did. They're family to her so I offered for them to move in. I thought it would be nice for them," Steve says sitting down in the seat next to Natasha. "They'll be fine, Tasha. Our kids are strong."

"Steve, maybe we should quit the business for a few years. Just until SJ's grown up and the new baby is a few years old," Natasha says looking up at Steve.

"Natasha, as much as I'd love to do that, you know you and I wouldn't be able to resist the urge to go out there and work. It's who we are," Steve says brushing Natasha's hair back.

"Well, maybe, Sarah could take SJ and the new baby in a year or two and move away with them so they're safe," Natasha insists.

"Mom, that would never work and you know it," SJ says waking up. Steve looks up at his son. "Sarah's a soldier, not a common housewife. She'd be miserable."

"But-."

"Mom, no. It's not up for discussion, at least not right now. I want to see my sister," SJ states firmly.

"Bruce won't let anyone in the room," Steve tells him. "Besides, you need rest SJ." SJ glares at his father before ripping the IV out followed by the monitoring devices on him. He gets out his bed, all the time his parents trying to stop him. SJ growls and throws both of his parents into the wall. He wants to see his sister and he'd be damned if anything stopped him. SJ walks toward the room he knew Bruce would put her in. He punches the SHIELD guard that tries to stop him twice to knock the man out. SJ walks to the window of the room and stares in at his sister. He forces the door open and walks to her bedside.

"Why, why did you do it," SJ questions with heartbreak in his voice. He touches his sister's cheek where there are no burns. "You should have called for backup. Rhodey would have gotten you out quicker! Why?" The tears pour down SJ's face. He falls to his knees on the floor and starts crying. Bruce, the first one to reach the room, stops dead at the sight of SJ crying next to his sister. Natalia and Buck are the next ones there and Natalia instantly goes into sister mode. She sits down next to SJ and holds him on her lap as he cries.

"Calm down SJ, you're making yourself sick," Natalia whispers.

"Why'd she do it? Why'd she have to be so stupid?" SJ sobs.

"It's a family trait buddy."

"I just want my sister back! Is that too much to ask for?" SJ demands.

"I know buddy, I know," Natalia says as she holds SJ's head against her neck. "But I bet Sarah wouldn't want you crying right now, would she? She'd tell you to be strong and that everything would be all right, wouldn't she?"

"I guess."

"Well, you can guess all you want, buddy, I know that's what she'd say. So how about we go back to your room and we can talk. You can tell me what Sarah's like now," Natalia suggests.

"I want to stay with my sister!" Natalia looks at Bruce.

"You can stay for a bit," Bruce says, "but then you need to go rest."

"Thank you Bruce," Natalia says softly as she holds SJ closer. After a good hour, SJ has cried himself to sleep. Natalia picks up SJ and carries the teen back to his room.

"You're good with him," Steve says as Natalia tucks in her little brother. "I should have more faith in my daughters." Natalia looks up sharply to Steve. "Natasha told me, and I had Peter confirm it. I also had a conversation with Doctor Madden, he confirmed it as well."

"Sorry I didn't tell you earlier that Sarah put it together. I just figured you had enough on your shoulders," Natalia says softly as she smoothes back SJ's hair. "He's attached to her, isn't he?"

"Let me tell you a story," Steve says motioning to the chairs. Natalia sits and Steve sits down in front of her. "I first met your sister about a year ago now. Our mission was to infiltrate this base and capture all the scientists. Neither Natasha or I wanted duplicates running around. Looking back now, I'm glad we have a couple of duplicates. You kids are amazing.

"We found a group of prisoners. They told us of a dangerous girl they kept walled up in the back of the cellblock. Tasha and I went for her after the others had escorted the other prisoners out. We found a terrified blond girl in there. We would have gotten her out then, but the place collapsed and we had to hide with her in there. I named her Sarah because she wanted a name. We got her out of there and SHIELD took her into custody. I told Fury that I wanted her when she was cleared to leave," Steve says with a smile. He looks up at Natalia with a smirk.

"Six months later, she showed up having just destroyed the Corporation the day before. They told me she was my clone and she called me Dad. I was so happy to have a kid, even if she was already sixteen. Fury got a call, said they had found a blond boy there in the wreck of the Corporation, scared, alone, and locked into a cage. Sarah said he was a clone so we went to get him.

"SJ, he tried to attack anyone that came near him. The boy was terrified. Sarah took off her bulletproof jacket and went in alone to get him out. She calmed him down in a matter of sentences. The boy clung to her for the next few hours. He loves Sarah dearly and it's the same back. They understand each other on a level that not even Natasha can connect with them and Natasha went through something very similar," Steve says. Natalia nods. She had heard about Natasha's upbringing from Madden. An alarm goes off and the two turn to see Bruce sprinting toward Sarah's room. The pair run down the hall and stare through the door at the sight. Bruce checks for a pulse.

"The pads now!" Bruce orders.

"All set doctor," a nurse says handing them over.

"Clear!" Bruce hits Sarah with the pads.

"Still no pulse Doctor."

"Charging, clear!" Bruce hits Sarah again, the teen's chest coming off the bed.

"I had a pulse but I lost it," the nurse says to Bruce.

"Charging, clear!" Bruce hits Sarah again and her chest leaps up. A steady beeping enters the air and the medical staff sigh in relief. Bruce looks up to see Steve holding Natalia up. The red head stares at her sister's face panicked.

"Doctor, should we think about a pacemaker?" a nurse asks.

"If it happens again, that's what we're going to do," Bruce mutters leaving the room. He closes the door and looks Steve in the eye. "I am about ready to put a pacemaker in her. Steve, I don't know what to do anymore."

"We'll do what we have to," Steve says softly.

"What happened?!" Doctor Madden and Aaron demand as they reach the room.

"Her heart stopped again," Bruce informs them. Aaron collapses in a heap on the floor. His girl was in pain and he couldn't help her! Natalia comforts the archer as he stays down.

"How long between times her heart stops?" Madden inquires.

"Typically about an hour and a half give or take fifteen minutes. But this one is nearly an hour and a half late," Bruce says looking at the group. "How could I be so stupid?" Bruce slams his palm onto his forehead. "Robert Bruce Banner you are so freaking stupid!"

"What is it Bruce?" Steve asks.

"It's off because Natalia and SJ were in the room with her. It's the same as last time. Natalia, Aaron, will you sit and talk to her?" Bruce asks looking at the pair. Aaron is up and in the room so fast it makes Bruce's head spin. Natalia sits on the opposite side of Sarah than Aaron. Aaron touches a part of her unhurt face and whispers soft words. Natalia smiles and giggles at a few of Aaron's comments. Bruce watches as Sarah's heart rate becomes steady once again.

"Go figure," Clint scoffs coming up to them. "Stubborn ass kid."

"I'm going to go say a few words to her. I need to go get some lunch," Steve says before walking into the room. Aaron backs off and Steve leans down and puts his lips next to her ear. "Baby girl, I know you're in there. Keep fighting. We're all here for you, but we can't all be in the room this time around, and there ain't an easy way to fix this baby girl. Just keep fighting. You're brother's fine, he's alive and well. He floored my ass so he could see you. Natalia, she's going to be moving in with us, along with Buck. Don't you worry, Sarah, we have you covered. Just concentrate on getting better. We're all cheering for you." Steve kisses her forehead and walks out of the room. Sarah doesn't have another episode after that.

* * *

**So Mary-Sue it's annoying! It's all right if you hate me.**

**Review if you wish. **


	24. Awakening The League of Teams

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE AVENGERS OR MARVEL!**

**Steve: Loki still with her?**

**Sarah: *nods* Found her and is doing what I told him to. **

**Steve: She's back. **

* * *

It has been a week since the big rescue. Barney Barton and Dominique Madden were buried on Saturday and Monday respectively. Barney's plot is in the area that Tony had reserved for the Barton family, there were a total of five plots at the moment, but more could be added. Dominique is buried next to the property line with a flying bird statue on top of the headstone. The plot next to hers is reserved for her father. The ceremonies had been small; SJ attended both in his sister's stead. He put flowers on both graves for her. That Tuesday, the helicarrier disappeared from New York Harbor and traveled into the mountains toward that resort. The majority of the alterations to the lodge had been completed so they were ready to move the Avengers into their R&R spot along with the teenagers. Coulson already had a group of agents on forging the kids' homework. The kids knew the material; they spent their free time reading the stuff. Now, as they prepare to move into the lodge, the team turns their attention to their two special patients.

Tony's recovery is coming along swiftly with Pepper's supervision, but they didn't want Tony walking through the snow. So, they had a sled made and a wheel chair at the lodge for the billionaire. Tony settles onto the sled and Thor easily pushes him across the snow to the entrance where the billionaire plops into his electronic wheel chair. He finds his way to the den and enjoys the heat.

Meanwhile, Sarah is being removed from her transport. The blond is wrapped in multiple blankets on her medical bed. Aaron pushes a button and the wheels are replaced by skis. Steve pushes Sarah to the entrance and Aaron hits the button for the wheels again. The two maneuver Sarah to her room before the medical staff takes over to get her situated. Aaron watches the process. Sarah's healing is rapid now. Doctor Madden and Bruce had found the right mixture of liquids to help the healing process. She'd be healed full in three weeks time, a month just like Doctor Madden said. In the mean time, they took shifts watching her and talking to her. Typically, Aaron and Buck would share a shift, then Natalia and SJ, followed by Steve and Natasha. There was normally a third to eighth person in the room, but there was always two in the room at all times.

"Bruce, she should have woken up," Tony says as they watch the blond while Steve and Natasha go deal with some unruly children.

"I know. I don't know why she didn't. Other than her still partially broken leg, she's fine," Bruce mutters. "She's not on any pain medication or anything to keep her under. She knows we're here, I don't understand it." A loud sound fills the air.

"There's Thor," Tony chuckles.

"Where is she?!" Thor's voice rings through the lodge. "Where is my niece with the blond hair?!" Thor must have heard about Natalia. Thor and Loki come running down the hall. Thor enters the room and stares at the blond on the bed. "How fair she?"

"She's healed for the most part, she's still got a broken leg, however, she won't wake up, and we do not know why," Bruce says looking at Thor. Thor walks over and brushes her hair back from her face. Loki walks in and puts a finger on Sarah's hand. The blond's body tenses and so does Loki's. Loki starts to collapse but Thor catches his brother. Loki shakes his head a few times before looking at the blond.

"What is it?" Tony asks.

"Her mind is quite confused right now. I felt pain and sorrow, that is all," Loki whispers. They turn toward the door when someone knocks.

"Is she okay?" SJ asks.

"SJ." That voice is female, not male. All the men look to the bed to see Sarah's eyes open slightly. She raises a hand toward her brother. "SJ." SJ hurries to his sister's side and sits there, his hand in hers.

"Hey sis. You okay now?" SJ questions.

"You're alive, little brother?" Sarah confirms.

"Yep. I'm fine, sis. They saved us both," SJ says with a smile. "You've had a lot of people worried." Sarah sits up, surprisingly well considering how long she'd been laying, and hugs her little brother tightly.

"I thought I had gotten you killed," she whispers softly. "It's good to see you, little brother."

"I'm not that little," SJ defends.

"You are to me." She tightens her hug and the tears run down her face.

"I'll get the family," Bruce says walking to the doorway.

"No, Uncle Bruce," Sarah says causing the older man to look at her, "I want to go to them, please."

"I'll get the wheelchair. I don't think you should be walking," Tony says looking at the blond. "Thank you for what you did back there in the tunnels."

"You all good?" Sarah asks him.

"Better than good." Tony returns a few minutes later with the wheelchair to find Sarah ready to go. Sarah, with Thor and SJ's help, stands up from the bed. She's glad she's in slacks and not hospital clothes. She limps to the wheelchair; the cast on her leg prevents her from walking normally. She eases into the wheelchair with SJ's help and situates herself in it. SJ eases her feet onto the footrests for her.

"Would you like a blanket?" Bruce asks.

"Yeah, I'm a little cold. Where are we?" Sarah asks.

"The lodge from New Years," Tony answers. Sarah nods and thanks Bruce as he puts a throw blanket over her legs and lap. SJ grabs the handles of the wheelchair.

"You ready sis?" he asks.

"Yeah." SJ smiles as he wheels his sister out of the room.

"Coma patients are now being referred to Loki," Bruce says to Tony as they walk.

"Yeah."

"So, where is everybody?" Sarah asks them as they move through the hallways.

"They're all in the den. It's movie time," SJ answers. Sarah smiles contently at the prospect of seeing her family enjoying a good movie. SJ keeps up a steady pace as he pushes the wheelchair. Thor helps him down the one curved ramp to keep Sarah from going wildly out of control down the ramp. They reach the den area through a back door. Bruce holds the door open allowing Tony in first followed by the wheelchair.

"Look who decided to join us," Tony chuckles causing everyone to look at him. Sarah's wheeled into the room with a soft smile on her face.

"Hey guys." Expressions of relief flood their faces. Steve flips over the back of the couch and the railing behind the couch to kneel next to his daughter. Sarah reaches for Steve's hand, her hand shakes from the effort so he takes her hand in his. After lying still so long, Sarah's muscles are a little underused at the moment.

"Hey Daddy." Steve's smile widens some as he brings his hand to her face to cup her chin in his palm. A tear runs down her face and disappears on Steve's hand.

"Hey sweetie. Why are you crying?" he asks softly while stroking her face with his thumb.

"I didn't know if I was ever going to wake up and it scared me," Sarah answers as her voice starts to break. Steve moves to the crouch position and hugs his daughter firmly. She hugs him tightly in return and buries her face in his neck.

"Hey, you're here now," Steve says softly into her ear, "and you're not leaving again, okay?" Sarah nods into his shoulder and Steve squeezes her a moment before easing back. "You feel up to watching a movie with us?"

"Only if I get popcorn and a Pepsi," Sarah answers.

"I think we can arrange that," Bobbi says with a smile. "I'll be back." Bobbi leaves the room and Sarah looks up at SJ.

"You mind rolling me down to the sitting area, little brother?" Sarah asks.

"Not a problem, sis." SJ wheels her down the sloped entrance to the sitting area. Sarah locks the brakes for the chair and pushes herself up out of the chair. Strong arms wrap around her and she looks up to see Aaron there.

"Hey babe," Sarah chuckles kissing his cheek.

"You really shouldn't be pushing yourself," Aaron says softly as he adjusts his grip to help her stand up.

"I'm stubborn." Natasha walks up to her and hugs her daughter firmly. "Hey Mom."

"Sweetheart, you ever pull that again and I'll kill you myself," Natasha threatens.

"You couldn't bring yourself to do it," Sarah laughs.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right." Natasha backs off and Natalia takes her place. Sarah smiles and hugs the red head back.

"How are you sis?" Sarah asks Natalia.

"I'm good, sis. I'm just glad you're around again." Sarah smiles and kisses the top of her head.

"Let's get you seated," Aaron says softly.

"Can I sit in your lap?" Sarah asks him. Aaron nods and helps her across the room to the large free space open on one side of the couch. Aaron sits down and eases Sarah down onto his lap so she can prop her foot up on the couch. She smiles and wraps one arm around his shoulders.

"Get a room," Sam mutters.

"Don't encourage them," Steve counters. Bobbi returns with Sarah's popcorn and Pepsi. She hands them off to Sarah and Sarah smiles at her.

"Thanks Bobbi." Aaron pulls the throw blanket off the back of the couch and wraps it around them. Sarah snuggles into the crook of his neck comfortable again.

"So, what are we watching?" Tony asks.

"Uh, Brave," Clint says with a deep scarlet blush. Sarah giggles and buries her face in Aaron's neck. Aaron smiles and runs a hand up and down her back as she laughs. "We were in the mood for an animation!"

"Admit it, Katniss, you just want to watch the archery," Tony teases.

"Shut it Stark!" Clint snaps back with an embarrassed face.

"All right, kids," Steve says firmly, "let's calm down and watch the movie."

"Yes Dad," Tony and Clint snap jokingly.

"Now boys, if you don't behave, no dinner for you," Steve says with a laugh.

"Ah man," Tony and Clint echo causing the whole room to start laughing, even Flash was laughing. They watch the whole movie before heading to the dining room for dinner. Sarah smiles and has a good time. After dinner, she excuses herself because she's still tired.

"I'll take you to your other room," Steve says coming to take the handles of her chair.

"Thanks Dad. See you all in the morning." Steve pushes her toward the rooms and they're silent for the most part. After Sarah cleans up in the bathroom, Steve helps her change into some of her slacks before helping her into the bed.

"Sleep well," Steve says before kissing her forehead.

"Hey Dad, can you stay a minute?" Sarah asks. "I want to ask you a couple of questions." Steve nods and sits down on the edge of the bed with her. "Why are MJ, Gwen, Harry, and Flash here? I mean, I can understand the super crew, they're all SHIELD but civilians?"

"They stopped being civilians when you brought them into this," Steve says softly taking her hand. "We knew with the situation they weren't going to be able to concentrate at school, they'd be worried, and worse, we were sure Flash would slip up on your identity." Steve brushes a piece of hair out of her face. "We came up with a story, the homework is all forged, and they know the material. Bobbi, Natasha, and Aunt May have taught to all the kids for us. I know you've memorized the books so I don't have to worry about your grades slipping."

"How long have I been out, Dad?" Steve looks at the bed sheet. "Daddy, how long was I in a coma?" Sarah demands.

"Almost a month. You're three days shy of it being an official month," Steve answers. Sarah is silent as she stares at him and then at the sheets. Sarah curls her uninjured leg up and sets her head on it. "Sweetheart?"

"How bad was I injured?" Sarah asks softly.

"Sweetie."

"Steve, how bad was I injured!" Sarah snaps looking up at him.

"Quite severely," Steve answers. "If I remember right your heart stopped five times, all of them during that first week. You had broken and fractured bones, burns, areas where metal had fused to your skin, lacerations, puncture wounds, some head trauma. The list is pretty long. Your leg still has a few days to go before we can take the cast off." Sarah puts her head back on her knee and lets the tear run down her face. "If it makes you feel better, you stopped Stane's men from pursuing us, saved a lot of people."

"How bad was SJ?"

"Sarah."

"How bad," Sarah growls in a tone that Steve placed after a thought or two. He had heard that voice when things had gone wrong on missions in the War. Peggy and Sarah did a lot of their reports for them, naturally both women worried quite a bit.

"He took a reinforcement cable in the torso. It bled for a bit but he recovered fast."

"How many died?"

"Dominique and Barney, along with five SHIELD agents." Sarah runs a hand through her hair. She had gotten them killed. "Sarah, it wasn't your fault. We all lose people."

"They were my responsibility," Sarah cuts him off. "Nick didn't order me to make a team, but he knew I would. So he made sure he could get me the resources. Their deaths are on me and me alone. I held Barney and Dominique when they died, Dad. I got them killed. I left Buck and Dom out numbered. I left Barney on a suicide mission! I got him killed! I knew he could take down at least half of those men without being injured. He was outnumbered far too much! I got him killed, that's on me! And yet his son can hug me and hold me like nothing fucking happened!"

"Sarah, it wasn't your fault."

"Dad, you can leave now. I need to be alone for a bit." Steve watches as she lies down and turns onto her side. He kisses her head and leaves the room slowly. Aaron is waiting outside the door for him.

"You can go in," Steve says softly. Aaron nods as he stares at the door.

"She mad at me?" Aaron asks.

"I suppose a little. She doesn't understand why you don't hate her," Steve says as he scratches his neck.

"Why would I hate her? I love her!" Aaron protests.

"Aaron, she feels responsible for your father." Aaron's face drops. "Exactly. She was team leader, she made the plans, she let him stay behind to give you time to break us out. She feels responsible for him and for Dominique." Steve puts a hand on the young man's shoulder as Aaron looks faint. "Talk to her."

"I knew Dad would do that. That's why I didn't say anything! Damn it!" Aaron hurries into the bedroom. Steve can hear the yelling match before sobs ring out and Aaron kisses her passionately. Steve smiles as the sobs end. Natasha looks at him from down the hallway. He casually walks over to her and she places a hand on his face.

"Everything all right, dear?" Natasha asks.

"Hopefully," Steve answers. He places his hand on his fiancée's stomach. The baby bump is starting to form now. "I love you so much, my little Russian assassin."

"Dear you're flattering me," Natasha purrs before she licks his chin.

"Oh, so you're in that kind of mood?" Steve laughs.

"That would be correct, my Captain," Natasha chuckles before slipping her hand between the buttons of his flannel shirt to touch his abs. "I thought we could cuddle and make out like love struck teenagers."

"Isn't that how…?"

"Yes, but we won't get to that. Well, you might but I can't with the baby." Steve chuckles before he leads his beautiful woman into their room.

Down the hall, Sarah sits back from Aaron. The darker blond strokes her hair softly. Their eyes search each other's faces. Aaron silently leans forward and kisses her again. This one is slower and more delicate than the passionate one a few moments before. He separates from her, one hand cupping one side of her face.

"Sarah, I love you and I always will. Please, don't cry anymore." Sarah nods softly before wrapping her arms around Aaron again. He smiles and eases her down onto the bed. He slips under the sheets and holds her close in his arms. He runs his fingers through her hair.

"I love you Aaron." He smiles softly. That's his girl.

* * *

A little over a week later, they're back to New York. Sarah's out of her cast and her sister Natalia and her cousin Buck are officially residents of Stark Tower. It's early Sunday morning, tomorrow they'd return to school and face the million questions from staff and students alike. They had rehearsed their answers constantly; it still didn't make it easy.

"Sarah, where are you going?" Tony asks as Sarah heads for the elevator with her car keys and jacket in hand.

"Book store and a few other places."

"You can walk."

"Gotta pick up MJ first. I'll be back, Tony, promise."

"You do realize that the other kids are gone too, right?" Tony scoffs.

"They are? Hm, didn't know that. See you later Tony." Sarah goes down to the garage where Aaron's car, Buck's truck, and Loki's SUV are missing as well. Things were coming along as expected. Sarah climbs into the Viper and rolls out of the garage with ease. She drives for over an hour and a half thanks to traffic after picking up MJ and Flash. She had disabled JARVIS and the tracker on her gauntlet and phone, along with MJ and Flash's phones. They pull up to a house nestled next to Oscawana Lake. In the driveway, there are a number of vehicles parked there.

"Sarah, how did you know about this place?" Flash asks.

"Long story, Flash. I'll tell you one day." They walk up to the house and Aaron is there to greet them. Sarah smiles as her whole list is gathered there in the den.

"Sarah, it's good to see you again," Laura chuckles hugging the blond.

"It's good to see you too Laura," Sarah says with an honest smile. The two separate and Sarah hugs Rogue next. "I'm glad to see you all could make it." There's a knock on the door and they turn to see a girl there about 18 or so.

"Is this the Rogers meeting?" she inquires.

"And you must be Sharon Carter, good lord you look like your grandmother," Sarah chuckles. "Is Tim with you?"

"Miss Rogers I presume," a tall man with a bit of stubble on his face says stepping up in the doorway.

"Yes I am."

"Everybody, Sharon Carter and Timothy Dugan the Third, yes?" Tim nods and Sarah smiles. "Come in, come in. We should get this meeting started. I'm glad you all could make it on such short notice. Take a seat please." They gather around the table and Sarah walks over to one of the full bookcases. "Really Howard, did you have to put it behind a fucking bookcase?" Sarah looks over to SJ. "Come give me a hand bro." SJ grabs the other side of the bookcase and the pair move it back five feet. Sarah slams her foot into the wall and a section of the wall comes down. "Huh, he never reinforced it. Stupid Howard."

"Howard? As in Howard Stark?" Sharon inquires.

"Yes, the old playboy himself," Sarah chuckles lugging out a few boxes from the mini closet. She sets them down and smiles at the group. "For those of you that do not know me, so five of you, I am Sarah Rogers, daughter of Steve Rogers. For Sharon and Tim, you might know me as Natalie Rushman. Surely you've heard those stories." Sharon and Tim's jaws drop. "You have. So, what did Peggy and Dum Dum have to say about me? Surely nothing good."

"Ma'am, how do you know our grandparents?" Sharon inquires. "Natalie Rushman was an agent in WWII, she disappears about a half a century ago."

"And reappeared here, in her own time," Loki answers dryly. "How long have you been planning this, Sarah?"

"Oh, year before I came back. I bought this place for a little personal retreat after Howard pissed me off one too many times. I had Nick keep the place; I doubt he even remembers it's here. I told him I'd just need it again someday," Sarah answers sorting through the files for a moment. "Ah, here we go. Tim, Sharon, this should prove to you who I am." Sarah hands the files over to them and they stare at the photographs there.

"You really are her."

"In the flesh. Now, down to business," Sarah says seriously taking the folder back. Everyone looks at her as she puts the file down and looks back at them. "I asked you all here to go behind all our loved ones and team members backs." There's a resounding silence in the room. "The events of last month helped me solidify my decision to do this. As the younger generation, even in Loki's case, we know a good portion of the dirty secrets the older ones have. We also know that they do some pretty stupid things and refuse to cooperate with each other at times, hell, some barely speak to each other. How many of you have heard of the Illuminati?" Sarah inquires. SJ, Laura, Emma, and Sarah raise their hands. "As I thought. The Illuminati is a secret alliance between a number of the heads of our dear teams and families. Unfortunately, they have a tendency of getting pissed off at each other."

"So you're suggesting we make another Illuminati?" Peter asks.

"Yes and no. We'll be secret, yes, but not just an alliance, more along the lines of a team, because we need those bonds, not alliance bonds. Alliances can be easily broken," Sarah continues.

"Why us?" Ava asks.

"Because I trust you all," Sarah answers. "If you agree to be part of this, our loyalties will be strained. We are loyal to each other and to our teams, but if there's feud between teams, we have to pull out of those feuds. This will only work if we can remain on the same side." Sarah looks at everyone in the group. "We've all had our issues. Upbringings by those who wanted to use us for nothing but evil, going evil for a little but then returning, trying to take over two worlds," Sarah's eyes pause on Loki who coughs and hides his face, "and even those who have done none of that but still want to be doing something. I know for a fact that Sharon is in the early enrollment for an agency in the UK that is equal to SHIELD. I also know that Tim is in a similar program for SHIELD since Nick talked with his grandfather."

"How do you know all of that?" Sharon demands.

"What part of we live with Tony Stark do you people not seem to understand?" SJ inquires. "I mean, really, Tony breaks into SHIELD for fun when he can't sleep."

"SJ, cool it," Sarah warns. "This is merely an invitation. If you do not wish to join, I will send you on your way and you won't have to think about it again. Think about it. I'm going into the kitchen." Sarah walks into the kitchen and to the fridge. She smirks at the note on the fridge.

_Sarah, _

_You know, I've been keeping this place up and when I heard you made inquires on it, I knew you'd be using it soon. So I stocked the fridge for you. Your ID for ownership is in the drawer to the right of the sink. Whatever you're planning, good luck. And I did update the place a bit. The folders are in the oak desk in the den. Be safe. _

_Nick_

"Laura! Come here a minute would you?!" Sarah shouts. Laura walks in and Sarah shows her the note. "You smell any bugs?"

"Place has been recently cleaned. I inspected the place when we got here with some SHIELD tech, no bugs. Food's good too," Laura chuckles reaching in the fridge and grabbing a soda. "Want one?" Sarah smirks and Laura hands her one. "So, was going to the past worth all this?"

"In some ways, but in others it's still weird. I mean, I had a different life for four years. Howard didn't even know I was 16 when I arrived until a year before I left," Sarah chuckles as she cracks the soda open and sips it. "Nick sure does know how to stock a fridge that's for sure."

"Hey Sarah! You coming back any time soon?" Luke asks.

"You know, I really want to floor him one of these days," Sarah mutters walking back to the den with Laura following. "What's up?"

"We're ready to tell you our answers," Ava answers. Sarah nods and Laura takes her place with the X-Men. Sarah looks to her closest family.

"Loki, SJ, Natalia, Buck and I, we're all in," Aaron says with a smile.

"Same here," Peter says motioning to his little group. Sarah looks at MJ and Flash.

"We're in too," Flash says looking at Sarah. "We'll do what we can. Base missions?"

"Primarily," Sarah answers.

"We will join as well," Emma says in her typical cold demeanor. "It should be good for us to be allies." The rest of the X-Men nod as well. Sarah looks at Johnny.

"You know I'm in," Johnny chuckles. "After the last mission, I wouldn't mind being under someone that knows how to talk to younger people, unlike my brother-in-law." Sarah laughs as Johnny's face scrunches up.

"We have a question," Wanda says looking at Sarah. Sarah had made sure Laura got in touch with Wanda, Pietro, and Lorna, the children of Magneto. She would need them on her side. "Would we be called in to aid the Avengers or as a team, just the people here?"

"If all goes well, just the people here," Sarah answers. "I picked you all because you're representatives of different groups and families, each neck deep in this mess we call a life. I mean, I might call on the super crew or the X-Men on occasion if my idiot family gets way over their heads but, we're a group and I won't interfere with other groups in that way."

"I take it you're our leader then?" Pietro inquires.

"She's the one organizing it," Loki scoffs.

"If you wish a different leader we can vote on it," Sarah answers.

"If you're not leader, I'm out," Johnny answers. "You kept your cool in that battle. I'm not sure some of these others can."

"She nearly got killed in a suicide move," Sam points out.

"That kept the enemy from killing the rest of us," Loki counters. "She was ready to sacrifice herself for the team."

"Suicidal if you ask me," Sam mutters. SJ is across the room and has Sam pinned to the floor before most could stand. SJ stares Sam in the eyes.

"My sister did what was best for the family, for SHIELD, and even for you. Would you have liked to fight off that whole army with the wounded we already had? We lost seven that day, if she hadn't, we would have lost a hell of a lot more. So say one more word about my sister and you will regret it," SJ snarls.

"Damn," Flash breathes as SJ stares down Sam. Sarah walks across the room and sets a hand on SJ.

"Steve, no," Sarah says softly and SJ looks up at him, "you're too good to resort to what the Corporation taught you, okay? And I know that the rest of the family would defend me if they were here, but you don't have to. I'm used to these types of remarks; I heard them all the time for four years. I know it hurts to hear them directed at me, but they don't bother me, bro."

"Corporation?" Sharon inquires.

"My brother and I," Sarah says helping Sam up after SJ walks over to Aaron and Loki again, "are clones of our father Steve. We were made by a group called the Corporation of War. They dealt mainly with WWII era clones. We weren't exactly raised the best." Sarah looks over at Sharon. "I'd say more but if you're not going to be on the team, I can't trust you with the information."

"The three of us are in," Pietro says motioning to Lorna and Wanda.

"I am in. My grandfather always said that you were a good person, Sarah. He told me you and Captain Rogers rescued 400 prisoners, my grandfather included. I will join you," Tim says firmly.

"Thank you Timothy. Sharon, have you reached a decision?" Loki inquires. Sharon pulls a necklace out from around her neck. She tosses the slightly large locket over to Sarah.

"Open it. If you can tell me what that means, than I will join you," Sharon says with confidence. Sarah opens the locket and a tune comes on. Sarah smile and a tear comes to her eye. Sarah runs her finger along the picture's edge. She chuckles softly as memories of the Stork club fill her mind.

"Sarah?" Aaron asks in concern.

"I'm fine, love," Sarah says looking up at him. "Yes, I know the tune Sharon," Sarah chuckles softly at the memories and wipes the tears away. "Every Saturday, when we were in London, we'd go to the Stork club, the Howling Commandos, Bucky, Steve, Peggy, and me. We'd go there to have a few drinks, listen to music, and dance. Your grandmother would always request this song and try to get Steve to dance to it. Never worked, Dad was too embarrassed he didn't know how to dance. It always ended up that Howard would walk in about that time, buy another round of drinks, and manage to get Peggy to leave Steve alone about dancing. There was one particular time that we were bombed. Howard, Peggy, Steve and I were trapped in the club for four hours before the Commandos managed to dig us out. To keep from going insane, Peggy and I kept humming that song."

"I'm in," Sharon says firmly. Sarah smiles and walks over with the necklace. She hands it to Sharon.

"Take care of that necklace. It has many memories for your grandmother and I." Sharon slips the necklace back on as Sarah walks back over to where she had been standing. "Aaron, did you bring them?" Aaron nods and brings out a box of smaller boxes. Sarah hands out the boxes. "These devices are connected to each other. They work off of the Stark and SHIELD satellite systems. If we need to get a hold of each other it works just like a phone. You can choose whom to call from the list of names; each one is a code name. I thought it would be best if we did it that way, protects us from the families and such. So, we should all introduce ourselves. I'm Sarah Rogers, Lady Star." Sarah pockets the device she had been working on over the past few months. She had originally made them for the Avengers but these would work much better for her group.

"I am Loki, though my current alias is Lukas Norling," Loki explains.

"I don't see his name on here," Laura comments.

"Look under Trickster and you'll find his device number," Sarah answers. "God of Mischief and Loki were too to the point. Besides, Earth still has a grudge match with him." Everyone in the room concedes to that point.

"I am SJ Rogers," SJ says with a small smile. "I'm Private America, right sis?"

"Yeah, Fury gave it to you."

"Hey Loki, you still have the pink spell?" SJ says with a mischievous smile.

"Remind me when we get home."

"Moving on," Aaron says sternly. "I am Aaron Barton, the Bowman."

"Barton? Like Clint?" Wanda inquires.

"Clint's my uncle," Aaron replies. "He's also my guardian until June. My father was killed recently." Sarah sets her hand on his shoulder. She leans in and kisses his cheek softly.

"I am Buck Barnes. I believe I am Buck on the list as well," Buck says with a smirk.

"Barnes?!" Tim and Sharon yelp.

"Yes, I am the clone of Bucky Barnes, after he was given the infinity formula. He's becoming like a brother to me now," Buck answers.

"I am Natalia Romanoff-Rogers," Natalia says with a faint smile. "I am the American Widow, yes?"

"As usual, sister, you would be correct," Sarah confirms.

"Romanoff-Rogers?" Sharon inquires.

"Genetic experiment, she's the child of my dad and my stepmom," Sarah answers. "You know, Steve Rogers and Natasha Romanoff, Cap and the Black Widow. Yeah, she's their kid and our sister. Moving on!" Loki and Aaron chuckle at the frustration rolling off Sarah.

"I am Luke Cage, they call me Power Man," Luke says as he scrolls through the names.

"Dan Rand, Iron Fist."

"Ava Ayala, the White Tiger. No, not the original. The original was my brother. I took over," Ava explains.

"Sam Alexander, I'm Nova."

"I'm Peter Parker and I'm Spider-Man."

"Flash Thompson, I believe I'm Flash on the list," he says looking at Sarah who confirms it.

"Mary Jane Watson and I'm MJ on the list."

"Laura Logan, a.k.a. Laura Howlett the clone of James Logan a.k.a. James Howlett. I'm listed as Talon," Laura informs the group.

"Howlett?" Tim gulps.

"Oh good lord, is he alive as well?" Sharon inquires.

"Alive and kicking my ass on a weekly basis," SJ mutters.

"I'm Rogue, same on the list. I don't use my real name."

"I am Remy but my friends call me Gambit."

"Emma Frost, the White Queen."

"Wanda Maximoff, I am the Scarlett Witch."

"Pietro Maximoff, they call me Quicksilver."

"Lorna Dane, they call me Polaris. I'm Wanda and Pietro's sister."

"Sharon Carter. And to answer a question, grandmother was widowed before my father was born so the Carter name lived on. I'm called Agent 13."

"I am Timothy Dugan the Third. But most just call me Dugan."

"Johnny Storm, the Human Torch," Johnny finishes off.

"Well, for now, that's all I have. I have some files and things you all can look through if you'd like. They're mostly about WWII; I'm taking them home with me. The kitchen is fully stocked. Excuse me a moment," Sarah says. She walks out of the room and down the hall to the bedroom she used to stay in. She quickly unlocks the door and pulls a chest out from the closet. She returns to the kitchen with it, takes the papers that Fury had left for her, and heads back to the den. She finds the others talking happily, making plans, and sharing back-stories.

"What should we call ourselves?" Johnny asks. Everyone looks at each other to see if anyone can come up with an idea.

"The League of Teams," Emma suggests. She looks at Sarah who nods in approval. "We are the League of Teams then. We can always change it later on." The others nod but Sarah knows the name will stay, no one even suggests something else. She smiles as she finds the key to the chest under a teacup. She opens the chest up and smiles at the sealed contents. She pulls out a file and looks at it with a smile. She sets it back down inside and pulls out a few sleeves with old records in them. She smiles as she looks them over. She pulls at the files and reveals something that causes her heart to drop. She pulls the box out and looks at each film canister with a heavy heart.

"Sis, you all right?" Natalia asks. Sarah looks up a little shaken. She holds up a few of the tins. "What are they?"

"Old films," Sarah answers. "I had Howard get me copies of them. I never thought they'd last this long. I'll have to see if Tony has a projector, you could see what they were all like back then. I think you would enjoy them." Aaron walks over and sits down next to her. He picks up a canister. Sarah's phone goes off and Sarah picks it up.

"Hello?" she says into the phone.

"Sarah, if you don't get back here in ten minutes, I'm suspending your license," Steve's voice says sternly.

"Uh, well, guess that's gone because I'm not in the city at the moment."

"Sarah Rogers, where the hell are you?!" Steve demands. The phones in the room ring out with frantic team members.

"I'll be home within two hours, promise." Sarah hangs up and puts everything back in her chest.

"We'll take the three boxes for you," Loki says and motions for SJ to grab a box.

"Keep in touch. I'll get in touch if we need a meeting again," Sarah says as she hoists the chest onto her shoulder and Aaron takes the last of her boxes. "Sharon, how long are you in the States?"

"A few months. Grandmother is here visiting some people and touring some schools," Sharon replies.

"Interesting. So, nobody is to know about us, no one is to know we met today, and we tell no one about this League of Teams. Drive safely," Sarah says. The group exchanges goodbyes and pile into vehicles after loading anything they had with them. Sarah places the chest in the back seat of Buck's truck since her Viper couldn't hold it without messing the car up. Flash and MJ climb in and once Tim is out of the driveway, Sarah pulls out and the group separates. She drops off Flash and MJ before going back to the Tower. The four vehicles pull into the garage at the same time. They park and divide up the loads. Sarah and Natalia carry the chest while the boys get the three boxes. They pile into the elevator and wait patiently to reach the level with all the kids' bedrooms. After a few cusses to get out of the elevator without wrecking anything, they put the boxes and chest in Sarah's room before heading for the living room. They find the Avengers waiting for them.

"Where have you all been?" Tony questions. "I know it wasn't the book store like Sarah said or anywhere else. And to add to the mystery, all of your tracking devices were disabled."

"We were hanging out with friends and didn't want to be disturbed," Loki answers smoothly.

"Brother," Thor says with an air of threatening to it.

"Loki's telling the truth. He may be the God of Lies but he's not always lying. Jeez," Sarah sighs in irritation. The elevator opens again and they watch as an inconspicuous man walks out of the elevator in casual clothes. "Cool, you have Vision up and running," Sarah chuckles.

"I did not know you knew I was online, Miss Rogers," Vision replies coolly.

"Didn't. I just designed your exterior disguise. Didn't Tony and Bruce tell you?" Sarah scoffs. "Figures, scientists."

"Dinner is ready," JARVIS announces.

"Thanks J," Tony calls as everyone files toward the dining table.

"Who's Vision?" SJ asks Sarah.

"Think of JARVIS with a body and the talents of the Iron Man suits," Sarah answers. She takes a seat around the table and snatches a roll from the basket Pepper is bringing in. Pepper scowls her but says nothing.

"Two weeks from yesterday, we will be marrying, and a week after, Tony and Pepper are getting married," Steve says to the group in general. "This Saturday we have clothes to pick up and make sure they fit for the wedding."

"So, who is walking Natasha down the aisle?" Aaron asks.

"Phil is," Clint answers. "Phil's done so much for Tasha and me, we thought it would be good for him."

"I was going to offer to do it, but I'm the best man," Tony says with a smirk.

"Tony, you're pushing it," Pepper says warningly.

"Sorry Pepper. Oh yeah, we'll pick up our clothes for our wedding on Saturday too," Tony says offhandedly.

"We'll talk about it later," Natasha says. "For now, let's just enjoy the meal." It's a wonderful Sunday dinner.

* * *

**I don't care for this chapter either. Again, hate me if you wish. **

**Review if you wish. **


	25. Old Friend and an Old Uniform

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE AVENGERS OR MARVEL!**

**Loki: Did you learn your lesson?**

**Sarge: No.**

**Loki: Say it and we'll continue your punishment. **

**Sarge: I don't own anything but the OCs. **

**Loki: Good girl.**

* * *

Steve smiles as he watches the kids leave for school. They had managed to convince Natalia to go to school as well, but instead of being a freshman, they had her put into Junior classes after testing her through 9th and 10th grade. Phil had pulled a few strings and Natalia now had all her classes with her sister.

"So, Buck, what are you going to do today?" Steve asks looking over at Buck as he picked up his jacket and keys.

"I'm headed over to SHIELD. They have a training position open and I'm going to apply," Buck answers. "It'll keep me close to home and keep me busy. Have a good day, Steve."

"You too Buck. Take care." Steve watches him leave before going to wake Natasha. Steve finds his lovely fiancée sitting on their bed tracing her fingers over her womb. Steve smiles and climbs on the bed behind her. He wraps his arms around her and buries his head in her hair.

"I'm so nervous Steve," Natasha whispers. "What if we're not good parents? I mean the kids are nearly grown, but this one will be a little baby."

"We'll do fine Tasha." Natasha nods and cranes her neck one way allowing Steve to kiss her neck softly. He runs a hand through her hair and trails kisses up to her ear. "I love you Natasha."

"I love you too Steve." Natasha places a hand on his face and looks back at him. They move and kiss each other on the lips softly. Steve works his way under her shirt and puts his hand on her warm womb. He sets his forehead on hers and stares in her eyes.

"We'll be fine, Tasha." Natasha nods and smiles as she reclines into Steve's arms. They take a nice little nap, neither of them needing to go to SHIELD today and SJ was gone until Friday to the X-Men mansion for some training with Logan. At noon, JARVIS wakes them up with a message from Tony.

"What does Tony want JARVIS?" Natasha questions.

"He requests your presence in the lab," JARVIS replies. Steve helps Natasha up and they walk down to the lab. Tony and Bruce are working on something.

"JARVIS said you wanted to see us," Steve says with a sigh. Tony motions him over and reveals the screen. Steve stares at the face and then falls back to the ground stunned. "No, that's not possible! The Tesseract burned him up!"

"Steve, it's true," Bruce insists. "Unless someone made a clone of him with all the memories, this is him."

"Don't let the kids know," Steve says sternly. "Sarah will track him down and kill him." Bruce nods and secures the red face in a file on a flash drive. "Was there something else?"

"Oh, yeah, Phil called," Tony says looking at the pair, "he wants you, Tasha, Clint, and me down to the school during last hour. Seems some of the teachers want to talk about the kids."

"Don't tell me one of them is suspended already," Steve grumbles. Tony laughs and shakes his head.

"No, they're not. Clint will meet us there. I figured we should get going after lunch," Tony explains.

"Yeah, sounds good. I'll go get lunch started," Natasha says walking away. Tasha walks away and Steve looks at the pair.

"How's Dr. Madden?" Steve inquires.

"He's doing good. He has a few of the other kids with him now that he has room," Bruce answers. "Don't worry, these ones aren't clones or clone kids." Steve nods slowly and walks out of the room. Bruce turns to Tony. "We should tell him."

"No, Steve will worry way too much," Tony replies. "We can fix her on our own. Vision." The android walks out of the shadows. "Keep an eye on Pep."

"Yes sir." Vision walks out of the room. The two scientists exchange a look before joining Steve and Tasha for lunch. After lunch, they dress nicely and pile into Natasha's SUV. The drive is silent for the most part. They pull into a spot and Clint walks over from his SUV. The four of them walk into the school and Phil shows them to a conference room. Phil walks silently to the gym class. Coach Holmes calls the class to attention upon seeing the Principal there.

"Principal Coulson?" the coach asks.

"The meeting." A female SHIELD agent in substitute clothes walks into the room. "Go to my office, Coach. Rogers, Rogers, Norling, Barton, hit the showers and meet me in the hall in five. Now." Sarah, Natalia, Loki, and Aaron look at each other before going off to change. Phil rounds up the other teachers he needs and sends them to his office. The kids walk up to him as he returns.

"What's up Phil?" Sarah asks.

"Some of the teachers have requested a meeting with your guardians," Phil answers. Phil sends them to the conference room where they sit down with the Avengers. The door opens again and the teachers come into the room with Phil. Phil sits down next to Steve.

"We asked Principal Coulson to call this meeting for us," the haughty History teacher says in his _I'm-above-you _tone.

"You called it, not the rest of us," Coach Holmes mutters.

"It has come to our attention of some attendance issues," Mr. Adams continues.

"All of which have legitimate excuses," Clint cuts him off.

"Sarah enrolled here at the beginning of the year. She left the school for two and a half months to go to Sweden, and then returned with all her homework perfectly done. I highly doubt she has that type of intellect," Mr. Adams continues.

"I have an eidetic memory," Sarah points out. "Ask Tony. He's read my medical file. I mean, I get it from my dad, he has one too."

"To continue," Mr. Adams interrupts. "Along with Miss Rogers return, we received two new students, Lukas Norling and Aaron Barton. I've done digging and Aaron Barton went off the grid for two years."

"I was looking for my father," Aaron counters.

"Both of these students live at the same residence as Ms. Rogers. Overall not that strange. Then, a week later, these three along with nine others were carted off to a program no one has heard of where they got into a mysterious accident and were in a hospital for an undisclosed amount of time with injuries that have apparently disappeared. They were gone for almost a month and a half, and yet again the homework was all turned in thanks to the Principal. When you returned, we added another Rogers to the student body, the apparent 14 year old sister of Sarah's who has the intellect of a Junior. Now doesn't this all just seem a little bit suspicious?" Mr. Adams questions.

"Can we leave yet?" Tony asks Phil.

"Not yet Stark." There's a knock at the door and Mr. Adams opens it to reveal two social services agents. The kids all stare. "What the hell is going on here?"

"I did some digging. They all reside with the Avengers; Sarah is a lined up to be a member. There was an attack on the Tower a month ago. The kids are not in a safe environment so I am having them relocated," Mr. Adams says simply. Sarah's on her feet and across the room before Steve can grab her. She grabs Mr. Adams and holds him a good foot off the ground by his shirt. He stares at her stunned.

"My family protects us with their lives! Don't you dare even think that you can take us away from them! I'll kill every single agent that tries!" Sarah snarls. She drops him and shoves him away. She looks at the two agents. "If you know what's best for you, you'll stay the fuck away from us."

"Sarah, calm down," Steve says approaching her.

"I've been taken away from my family too many times Dad! I'm not going to let this man take me away from my family because he thinks we're in danger. If we were in dangers we wouldn't be living with you guys," Sarah counters. "I am out of here. I need to cool off before I hurt somebody." She tosses Loki her keys. The two agents block the doorway. Sarah's eyes narrow before a shield appears on her arm. She pushes the two agents to the side and walks out of the room. They sit there in stunned silence. When the school bell rings, Spider-Man is seen swinging off with Sarah toward the Tower.

"Well, that was interesting," Tony says to clear the air. "Phil, you'll be receiving my official request to have Mr. Adams thrown out within the week. I have a person in mind to replace him. As for the rest of you teachers, forget what just happened here and we're square. Good? Good. I'm going to go prevent Sarah from destroying the Tower now." Tony walks out and pulls a Iron Man suit out of the SUV before taking off for the Tower. The door opens again and a secretary walks in and hands a paper over to Phil.

"Mr. Adams, it seems that you have been charged by SHIELD on multiple charges. These agents will escort you out," Phil says motioning to two that appear behind the social services agents. "Don't worry; we have your replacement on the way. Unless another teacher has an issue, this meeting is over." The other teachers assure the kids that nothing has changed before leaving the room. Phil looks at Steve. "I didn't know Steve."

"I know Phil." Steve puts a hand on Natalia's shoulder as she picks up her sister's bag. The red head looks up at her father. "She did it to protect you all." Natalia nods softly. That's all that Sarah ever does now.

Tony lands on the balcony of Stark Tower and quickly removes his armor. The billionaire locates Sarah quickly and with ease since, just like her father, she takes her anger out on punching bags. He watches her as she pounds the punching bag into dust. As the bag breaks from the hook, the billionaire watches as the blond falls to her knees in frustration and anguish. Tony watches as she turns sickly pale after a moment and starts to cough up blood onto the floor. Sarah clutches her sides in pain and groans as the blood continues to drip from her lips onto the ground. Tony sprints across the room to her side. Dr. Madden's notes had mentioned this and Tony recognized it instantly. Tony eases her back a little.

"Sarah, I'm going to pick you up and get you help," Tony tells her. Tony manages to pick the teen up off the floor and carry her to the medical lab where Tony is running tests on samples Madden had given them. Tony's later answer for how he managed to carry the teen that far was the situation and his adrenaline starting to kick in. JARVIS opens the lab door for him and Tony hurries in. "Bruce, booster now!" Tony shouts as he heads for the medical bed. Bruce looks over to see what Tony's panicking about and instantly realizes the situation.

"How long?" Bruce questions.

"A few minutes," Tony answers before continuing with, "she was beating a punching bag to a pulp." Tony holds Sarah upright on the bed and gives her a wastebasket to cough the blood up in. Bruce hurries over with syringe filled with medicine. After the booster shot Madden had given her in the helicarrier Bruce and Tony had devised one of their own to help these episodes. Bruce puts Sarah arm on the table next to the bed and holds it steady long enough to administer the shot. A few minutes pass and the coughing gradually lessens. After two minutes of silence, Tony eases the blond back to rest on the bed. Her eyes are closed telling the pair that she's out cold for a few minutes, a side effect of the booster.

"I'll go get her some clothes," Tony says.

"No, stay. You're covered in blood," Bruce says. "Get a rag and clean to two of you off. I'll get you both a change of clothes." Bruce leaves the room swiftly and Tony looks back at his niece. He's starting to regret not telling Steve. Tony finds a rag and a small bowl that he fills with water. He cleans off using the mirror before returning to Sarah's side and wiping the blood off her face, chest, and neck. He brushes her bangs back and sighs. They had to speed up their finding a solution. Sarah's eyes flutter open and she looks up at Tony with sleepy eyes.

"Tony?" she questions just above a whisper. "Wha-?"

"Easy, you're still weak," Tony says softly sitting down in a chair next to the bed. "You had an episode."

"Episode?"

"We'll talk about it in a few minutes. We need to get you changed first," Bruce says walking back in with clothes for both Tony and Sarah. "Do you mind if we help you?"

"I don't think I could move," Sarah stammers slightly. Bruce nods and motions for Tony to help her sit up. Bruce helps the blond take off her shirt and replaces it with a new one. He holds her upright while she slips her jeans off and puts on new ones. Bruce eases the blond back onto the bed now that Tony had moved the back so she'd be sitting up more. Bruce notices the Goosebumps on her skin and pulls a blanket from a cabinet for her.

"Thanks Bruce." Tony changes his shirt and places the other shirt in a pile with Sarah's bloody clothes. "What's an episode?"

"A relapse with your serum," Bruce answers. Sarah looks at him sharply. "Dr. Madden informed me and I informed Tony. We're working on a cure. No one else knows." Sarah looks between the two and sighs. "Sarah, it's nothing to be ashamed about. We all have our issues. I'm going to describe these episodes to you so you can pick up when they're coming. Normally, you'll get very light headed, your body will start hurting, then you'll go pale, sometimes you'll feel really cold or really warm, then you'll cough up blood and it's normally followed by going into a fever induced sleep."

"I know the symptoms, Bruce. I've had them before," Sarah mutters rubbing her eyes as her muscles start working again.

"And you didn't tell us?" Tony questions.

"Your father knew," Sarah counters. Tony takes in what that statement means.

"Oh."

"Yeah. It happened a few hours after we had returned from saving Bucky and the other 400 soldiers. I was upset and pissed off. Passed out in front of the door to the tent I shared with Peggy. She had to have Steve move the door to get to me. They used Steve's blood to treat me, two pints of it. I got another transfusion a day or two before he went in the ice. Howard never could find a solution. We thought vita-rays might help. I have some files up in my room," Sarah says offhandedly.

"Where are they?" Tony inquires.

"I'll get them," Sarah insists sitting up on her own and swinging her legs off the bed. She stands up but sways dangerously. "Or not." Bruce helps her sit back down and the blond holds her head dizzily. "The Lazy-Susan organizer in my desk, the file is marked as Howard Stark Project. You'll find it easily; it's in an old manila folder with his hand writing on it."

"I'll go get it," Tony says. Bruce nods and the engineer hurries out of the room. Bruce puts the back of his hand to her forehead and approves of the temperature there.

"Hey, Bruce," Sarah says. The scientist looks her in the eyes. "Are you delivering Mom's baby?"

"If I have too."

"Could you teach me, like just in case you're not there and we can't get to a doctor?" Sarah asks him.

"Sure I will. Do you remember that night you helped us create Vision's disguise?" Bruce inquires.

"How could I not. I fell asleep at the computer."

"You know all those little robots you made on the program?" Bruce continues.

"Yeah, they were kind of cute."

"Tony's thinking about making a few of them." Sarah beams just as Tony comes back into the room with the file.

"Bruce, this is the break through we've been waiting for!" Tony laughs happily. "Sarah, who thought of this?"

"Dad had the idea, Howard did research on it. But the vita-ray chamber was destroyed and unfortunately during a lab accident the files got destroyed," Sarah explains. "We tried to repair the chamber but the thing was fried."

"Don't worry; I should be able to come up with one again. I wish we had more pictures of it," Tony mutters. "We'll have you better soon."

"Thanks Tony. That's good to hear."

"Tony, how long would that take to make?" Bruce inquires.

"I don't know. I'll have to start working on it immediately," Tony says flipping through the file. "Where'd you get the file, Sarah?"

"When Howard packed my bags, he sent it with me," Sarah explains. "Are you going to tell Dad?"

"Not unless you want us to," Bruce insists.

"Don't tell him. He's overprotective as it is. I'm going to head to my room and take a nap," Sarah says slowly bringing herself to the sitting position.

"Before you go," Tony says taking something out of a drawer and taking her hand, "I want you to wear this at all times. It will inform you when an episode is about to come. I have an adaption kit for you gauntlet to remotely administer the medicine as well." Sarah nods and Tony takes out a flask like container. He turns her gauntlet over and opens an access hatch to the IV adapter inside. He attaches the flask and double checks to make sure it works. "It will inform you when the flask is empty. Don't exercise too much; I think that's what is speeding up the degrading time." Tony attaches the bracelet-monitoring device to the gauntlet and checks to make sure it's running.

"Thanks Tony. Will someone wake me up for dinner?" Tony nods and Sarah eases to her feet. Vision walks in and offers a hand.

"JARVIS informed me that Miss Rogers was feeling under the weather. I will help you to your room, Miss Rogers."

"The name is Sarah, Vision, and thank you," Sarah says sincerely leaning on the android. The door closes once they're outside and the two men turn to each other.

"How long for the chamber Tony?" Bruce inquires.

"A month or more," Tony answers. "If I had more schematics, less time than that. From Dad's notes, an additional serum, like the one that Madden has been creating, if combined with a treatment of vita-rays will take care for the issue."

"Tony I'm not sure we have a month," Bruce replies. "Aaron talked to me the other day. He told me that Madden gave Sarah an injection when they went to get Natalia, Buck and Dominique. Sarah was complaining that she was light headed. That's been a month and a half or so ago. Look back to what Sarah said about WWII. Twice they gave her Steve's blood. The episodes are occurring more often. And don't forget about the fact that every time she needs a treatment, the treatment becomes less effective."

"I know Bruce," Tony snaps back as he lays the file's contents out. "We'll have to work quickly. Who else knows anything about vita-rays and such?"

"Maybe Henry Pym, he's got a degree in bio-chem. Susan Storm might be able to aid us as well. I forget where her degree is in bio-chem or genetics either one would be beneficial. As for the building side of it, you and me should suffice, otherwise we can rope in Reed as well," Bruce says thinking through the names. "We can't make a huge deal over this." Tony picks up the phone. "Who are you calling?"

"JARVIS, do I have any meetings in the morning?" Tony inquires.

"Your morning schedule is clear, as is Doctor Banner's."

"All right, mark it as booked." Tony dials the Baxter Building.

"Hello, this is the office of the Fantastic Four," Johnny says cheerfully picking up.

"Hey, Johnny, your sister there?"

"Well, she's getting ready for a night out with Reed."

"It won't take long promise." Tony can hear the phone exchanging hands.

"I swear Stark, if you make me miss my date, I'll gut you," Susan threatens.

"I promise I'm not, Sue. What do you have degrees in?" Tony inquires.

"PhD in genetics and I'm working on a few PhDs in the bio-chem sector," Sue answers.

"Are you free tomorrow morning?"

"I can make it free, how long?"

"All morning."

"What's wrong Tony?" Sue asks in concern.

"Bruce and I are trying to keep a sickness of one of the family under wraps, but by our estimations, if we don't crack this issue within the month, we're down a family member," Tony answers. "Don't tell anybody. Bruce, JARVIS, Vision, and I are the only ones that know and we're trying to keep it that way."

"I'll be over say seven o'clock, okay?" Sue confirms.

"Sounds great Sue. Thank you," Tony says with a small smile.

"No problem Tony." She hangs up and Bruce adds Sue to the list of scientists. Tony dials up Hank.

"What do you want Stark?" Hank inquires picking up the phone.

"Halt the hostilities Hank, please," Tony practically pleads. "How much do you know about super soldiers?"

"Something happen?" Hank demands.

"It's complicated. We're working with DNA, serums, vita-rays, and builds. So far the team is Bruce, Sue Storm and myself. I'd like a bio-chemist on the team as well," Tony says running a hand up and down his face. "We're trying to keep this low key. Bruce, Vision, JARVIS, and I are the only ones that know to my knowledge. Please Hank, I need help with this."

"When do you need me?"

"Can you clear your schedule for tomorrow morning?" Tony inquires.

"I'll clear it for the whole day. Just answer me this Tony, is this a weapons contract or is Steve hurt?" Hank asks.

"It's not a contract and it's not Steve," Tony says softly. "It's Sarah."

"I'm clearing my whole day. Seven in the morning sound good?" Hank asks.

"Yep. Sue will be coming over then too. Thank you Hank."

"We'll fix this Tony, I promise." Tony hangs up and nods to Bruce. The two men work until dinner going over the files, comparing notes, and working hard in general. At dinner, Natasha announces she has to go on a diplomatic mission to a country called Wakanda for a few weeks with Hill the day after Tony's wedding. Apparently, the country's king wanted to form an alliance with the United States and SHIELD. The next morning, Phil calls after the kids have left for school. All that Steve could understand was the kids would be coming home around lunch after a guest speaker was done at the school and the speaker wanted to see Steve. Phil walks into the first hour class and the teacher holds up her hand.

"Which ones, Parker's gang or the Rogers gang?" the teacher inquires.

"Rogers."

"You're excused kids." The four teenagers get up wordlessly and grab their stuff from their lockers on the way to the Principal's office. They stand as Phil closes the door behind them.

"What did we do this time?" Aaron inquires.

"Oh, it's not you," Phil laughs. "We have a special guest speaker. A very special one. After the meeting in the auditorium, you're to take the speaker and her chaperon to the Tower to see Steve and you're excused for the day. Lukas, Aaron, Natalia, go wait in the auditorium." The trio walks off and Loki takes Sarah's bag for her.

"So, what am I doing?" Sarah asks.

"Getting in uniform," Phil answers. "I had Natasha run it over. The speaker is Peggy Carter." Sarah stares at Phil. "Exactly. She would like someone in a uniform from that age. She's going to be talking about Captain America, herself, the Howling Commandos, a lot of information really. It's all things you know. Normally her granddaughter would be the only one in uniform, but she made a request that you join her as well. She'd like to introduce you as the daughter of Captain America, it is general information that he's alive after all." Sarah nods softly. Kids had asked her about the article in the Times and the Bugle.

"Where's the suit?" Sarah asks.

"In the dressing room behind the stage." Sarah nods and leaves the office. She runs her fingers over the fabric of the uniform; it was the one with a skirt. She smiles softly remembering all the fun she had in this skirt. She changes quickly, putting her clothes in a bag for later. She sits down at the little table and applies her makeup, the routine still familiar to her. With a little magic, her hair is done automatically so she doesn't have to deal with it. She stands and straightens her coat.

"It's good to see you in uniform again, Sarah." Sarah turns around and sees a much older Peggy Carter. The tears brim in Sarah's eyes. "Oh, dear, don't cry."

"I missed you Peggy. I didn't get to say goodbye," Sarah whispers before hugging the older woman.

"I know, dear, but I knew I'd see you again. It's too bad that Howard isn't here to see you now. Imagine what he would have to say." Sarah laughs at the thought of Howard. "You look good dear."

"You look very good Peggy. Your granddaughter?" Sarah inquires. Peggy whistles softly and Sharon comes out in Peggy's old uniform. If her hair was brunette, Sarah would have called her Peggy.

"Hello, I'm Sharon Carter," Sharon says playing the _I do not know you_ card on Sarah.

"Sarah Rogers."

"Steve Rogers's relative?" Sharon inquires.

"Daughter," Sarah answers.

"Come on girls. We have a school to entertain. Sarah, would you mind helping me to my chair?" Peggy asks.

"It would be my pleasure, Peggy." Sarah holds onto Peggy's arm as they walk to the edge of the stage. The auditorium fills up rapidly, Loki, Aaron, and Natalia are sitting front row.

"Good morning, students and staff. We have a rare treat today, a World War Two veteran has donated some time to come speak to you today. She has brought along two friends with her, one is wearing a British uniform, the other a corresponding American uniform. I ask you to be respectful as she deserves your respect. I welcome to the stage, Peggy Carter." The auditorium is filled with claps as Sarah and Sharon walk with Peggy out to center stage. Aaron's jaw drops at his girlfriend in uniform. Sarah helps Peggy into her seat and stands five feet away on one side as Sharon did the same on the other side. There's a screen off to the side by Sarah. She glances at the picture and a tear comes to her eye. It's the Howling Commandos with Steve smiling at the camera.

"Good morning," Peggy says softly into the radio. "As you can see, I am quite old so you will have to be patience with an old woman." Chuckles ring out and both Sharon and Sarah have to hide their laughter behind their hands. Peggy tells stories for a long time then answers questions for anyone that had a question. After the assembly, the school leaves. Aaron, Loki, and Natalia jump up onto the stage as Coulson walks up to them.

"See you tomorrow kids. Behave," Coulson warns.

"Aren't we always?" Loki says with a smirk.

"Hell no." Sarah laughs and Coulson walks away.

"I'll change when we get home, but I have to grab my clothes out of the back," Sarah tells them. "I'm glad you're coming over, Peggy. You can sit up front with me."

"Thank you Sarah. Young man, would you take me out to the vehicle. I walk quite slowly, I'd hate to keep everyone waiting," Peggy says looking at Aaron.

"It would be my pleasure ma'am."

"Sharon, get my things would you?" Peggy asks her.

"Sure Grandmother." Sharon and Sarah go back stage and gather the bags. "Say it."

"You could have told me you were visiting New York," Sarah points out.

"I didn't know we were. We're staying at a hotel for a few days while we're here. We have some more schools to see still," Sharon says as the pair head for the car. "What do you drive that fits all of us?"

"What can't I drive if I want to?" Sarah laughs.

"Good point." They arrive at the SUV to see Aaron helping Peggy into the passenger's seat. Sarah watches as Natalia and Loki climb into the bench seat in the back. Aaron climbs in behind Sarah's seat and Sharon climbs into the other seat. The drive back to the Tower is relatively short. The others had introduced themselves to Sharon before getting in the car luckily. The elevator door opens to the main level of the Avengers levels. Loki takes all the bags and deposits them in the correct room while Sharon and Sarah hang up coats. Sarah escorts Peggy to the kitchen table. She had called ahead and Natasha had a lunch laid out for them.

"Well, this certainly is a surprise," Natasha chuckles as Loki and Aaron walk in.

"I know," Natalia chuckles. "Where's Dad?"

"Right here." Steve comes from the kitchen holding a bowl of the cold chicken salad. "So, who is our guest?" Steve sets the bowl down and looks toward Sarah. Steve nearly drops to the floor in shock. He hurries around the table and hugs Peggy softly.

"Hello Steve, it's been a very long time," Peggy says with a soft chuckle. "I seem to recall Sarah telling me about her mother, a red head. I presume you are Natasha Romanoff, yes?" Peggy looks toward Natasha.

"Yes ma'am." Peggy walks around Steve to Natasha.

"Not a bad choice, Steve. I'm Peggy Carter, Miss Romanoff." The two women shake hands. Steve looks at Sharon. "Ah, this is my granddaughter Sharon. She fits into my suit so she goes traveling when I do speeches, like the one I did at Sarah's school today."

"That explains why she's in uniform," Steve remarks. Sarah glances down and blushes.

"Sorry Dad I forgot," Sarah mutters.

"It looks fine dear." A bottle hits the floor and everyone turns to see Clint, Tony, Thor, Bruce, and Pepper standing there.

"What is it?" Loki questions.

"I thought I was looking at a blond Peggy Carter," Tony stammers.

"Tasha, when did your little girl turn into a soldier?!" Clint complains.

"I think I'll go change," Sarah says scratching the back of her neck.

"How could you stand that uniform?" Natasha inquires.

"I forced it on her. Most of the time she wore trousers," Peggy chuckles. "Go change, girls. Sharon, behave."

"Don't I always Grandmother?" Sharon counters.

"No." Sharon laughs and Sarah shows her to her room. Sarah changes into her jeans and a tank top while Sharon changes into jeans and a short sleeve shirt. The two blonds look at each other with faint smiles.

"It's good to see you again so soon, Sharon," Sarah says softly.

"I know. I was worried when the next time we meet might be. I must see some of these fighting skills my grandmother tells me about. She told me about a few times you put men in line," Sharon chuckles. Sarah smiles fondly. "Isn't it weird for you to have been in the past four years but go back to normal life almost immediately?"

"When you live with the Avengers, things that should bother you don't bother you," Sarah answers. "It comes with the territory, unfortunately." Sharon nods and they walk back to the table. The two blonds sit down and the group converses over lunch.

"Sarah, you up for sparring later?" Clint inquires.

"The last time I sparred with you, you couldn't spar for a week I hurt your shoulder too badly!" Sarah giggles.

"Then how about you and Sharon spar?" Peggy suggests.

"Peggy, I couldn't. I'd hurt her, you know that," Sarah says softly glancing at Sharon.

"Fine, you and I will spar. We haven't done that in a few months," Steve says sitting back in his chair. "I'd like to see if you've improved any from your trip back in time."

"You got it, Old Man," Sarah laughs. "Gym clothes or mission clothes?"

"Gym clothes. You have upgrades remember. Tony fixed that issue and improved it," Steve commented.

"You did?" Sarah yelps looking at Tony.

"Yes I did and I'm planning on giving you a whole new suit once we get those gauntlets off. I'm still having some issue with that," Tony mutters.

"What was the issue?" Peggy inquires. Steve glances at Tony who shrugs. The soldier then looks at his fiancée and Clint.

"They're close enough to be family," Natasha reassures Steve. Steve clears his throat and swallows a little water.

"There was a situation about a month and a half ago. Avengers teams A and B were captured and held for somewhere within 72 hours give or take a few hours," Steve says slowly. Sharon looks over at Sarah who winces at the memory. "SHIELD didn't have a back up team for both teams, they had to recruit a new team but it was taking too long and they would have been in the same position as us. Sarah and the others organized a team, a mission, and accomplished their mission. We lost a few SHIELD agents, a dear friend of Sarah and Natalia's, and Clint's brother who was Aaron's father. We almost lost two others."

Sarah walks over to Steve as his voice starts to break up. She puts a hand on his shoulder and squeezes it tightly. He puts a hand on it and squeezes back.

"I, I can't continue," Steve stammers.

"I will Dad," Sarah says hugging him. "I ordered a retreat and went into the reactor of the compound they were holding the Avengers at. Blew it sky high so the army chasing after the Avengers and SHIELD wouldn't get my family. I knew the odds going in. My suit failed partially during the explosion when I tried to get out. Took one hell of a beating. My little brother SJ was injured when he came in to get me out. Tony had taken a lot of abuse by their captors. Tony healed relatively fast. SJ was fine in a matter of days. I took a month to heal; I was in a coma the whole time. I woke up and I'm just fine now."

"That's good to hear dear," Peggy says softly. They finish eating and everyone heads down to the training arena. Sarah and Steve jump in the ring and put on gloves.

"Ready?" Steve asks her. Sarah nods and Steve lunges. His fist misses her face as she dodges, hits him in the armpit, and flips him onto his back. Steve pops right back up and Sarah lunges. Steve swipes her legs out from under her and she lands hard on the mat. She swings around and knocks Steve to her level. She pins him but Steve tosses her up in the air. Sarah comes down on Steve with a blow to the shoulder. The soldier grunts before throwing a right hook at her. His daughter blocks and uses his arm as leverage to send him over her back and onto the mat.

"Are you taking lessons from your mother again?" Steve inquires.

"Are you jealous, Dad?"

"No, I just want to know where you're learning these moves," Steve replies. Sarah smiles as he gets back up. The younger throws a punch at Steve's gut but he blocks with his leg. Steve slams his leg into her knee causing her to buckle slightly. She quickly executes three punches to his legs before jumping back up and give him a sidekick to the head.

"Would you believe me if I told you that Howard taught me?" Sarah inquires.

"Howard couldn't throw a punch!" Steve laughs as he launches at his daughter.

"No, but his bodyguards were fun to play with, so he did teach me," Sarah chuckles. She dives between his legs and kicks him in the ass, sending him sprawled out on the ring floor. She smirks and rests against the side of the ring. "Had enough, old man?"

"For now. I want a rematch later," Steve laughs.

"You're on." Sharon and Peggy leave after dinner. Steve invited them to the wedding but it turned out that they'd be across the country at the time.

"Hey," Loki says catching Sarah's attention as she goes to turn in for the night. Sarah looks up at him and raises an eyebrow. "Can I talk with you?"

"Sure." The two of them sit down on her bed and Loki looks over at her. "What's on your mind, Loki?"

"You know how I told you that you'd find love again?" Loki asks her. She nods and Loki smiles softly. "You found him." Loki points at the picture of Aaron sitting on her dresser. "I just wanted to tell you so you wouldn't have any doubt with him."

"Thank you Loki. I love him very much," Sarah says with a smile. "Go sleep, Loki." Loki nods and leaves Sarah to her thoughts. The blond settles down on the bed after a shower and a change of clothing. Her eyes drift off peacefully but her night would not be so peaceful.

_Sarah was running through a long dark corridor. She slammed through a door and skidded to a stop at the sight. A man held Aaron's head back and forced him toward the pool of water in the room. _

_"Twenty feet down in weights. With a push of this button," he said showing a remote, "the pool will be electrocuted."_

_"Don't, please!" Sarah begged. _

_"You give me what I want." _

_"That's not my choice." He tossed Aaron into the water. Sarah ran forward and dove in after him. She swam back up with him in her arms. She tossed him out of the pool just as the man hit the button. She screamed in pain and the muscle spasms sent her straight to the bottom. _

"Sarah! SARAH!" Sarah gasps and bolts upright in the bed. Her chest heaves and the IV in her arm kicks in again. Sarah feels a hand settle on her face and hold her steady as she tries to calm down again. "Sarah, babe, look at me!" Sarah looks at Aaron. He's wearing his bed shorts and a tank top. His face is full of concern as he watches her closely. "Calm down, it was just a dream."

"Aaron!" she cries throwing herself into his arms. Aaron holds her close to his chest and kisses her neck as she cries into her shoulder. "How did you know?"

"Loki felt your energy fluctuating. He had JARVIS wake me up. Babe, what was it?"

"A horrible nightmare. You were there and there was a man trying to drown you in this pool that could be electrified. I dove in after you and got you out but he electrocuted the pool before I could get out. It felt so real!" she sobs. Aaron holds her closer and smoothes her hair on her head.

"You'll be okay, you'll be okay," Aaron whispers to her. "It was just a dream, babe. Just a dream." The door to her room opens and Aaron looks over his shoulder to see Natasha standing there. She nods in approval and closes the door. "I'm not going anywhere babe." Sarah looks up at Aaron. "Do you want me to stay with you tonight?"

"Please. Don't leave me." Aaron nods and moves slowly to behind her. He pulls her down to lay down and wraps his arms around her. He strokes her hair softly as she pulls the covers up. Her hand slips under his shirt and rests on his heart. The consistent thumping of his heart lets her know that he really is there with her.

"I'm never leaving you," Aaron coos softly. Sarah snuggles in and he slips a hand under her shirt onto her spine. She shivers as his warm hand touches her cold back. "I won't leave you."

* * *

**Compared to the past five chapters or so, this one isn't half bad if I do say so myself. **


	26. Wedding Mini Chapter: Preparations

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE AVENGERS OR MARVEL!**

**Sarah: The irony.**

**Sarge: Don't own nothing but my OCs.**

**Sarah: We done yet?**

**Sarge: What about this dress? *shows dress* **

**Sarah: Looks great. What is this Prom you speak of?**

**Sarge: It's a big formal dance at schools. **

**Sarah: Ah. Well, have fun. **

**(The irony, I spent today dress shopping.) **

* * *

The caravan of vehicles pull up to the dress shop that Pepper had reserved for the whole day. The whole group had to agree that having Tony Stark as an ally had many great advantages. The whole group consisted of Natasha, Pepper, both Rogers sisters, Ava, May Parker, Maria Hill, Bobbi Morse, Darcy (who was coming to work at Stark Industries for some unknown reason), Sif (who had come to see Thor), Sigyn (who was there to help Sif), Sue Storm, and Janet Pym. Sarah holds the door open for the whole group and they file into the dress shop with a multitude of _oh's _and _ahs_ reverberating in their wake. Bobbi reaches out and runs her fingers over a brilliant blue dress.

"Good morning and welcome," one of the assistants here at the shop says as the group walks up. "I am Ellen and I'll be helping you today with your dresses. We have compiled a group of dresses according to the dresses Miss Potts has suggested for both weddings. Which wedding shall we start with?" Ellen inquires.

"The Rogers Wedding," Pepper replies. "Hers is first after all."

"Very well. If you'll follow me, we've set up a display area with seating for all of you," Ellen informs them. The group walks to the staging area in the back as some of the other assistants pull the blinds down for privacy by order of Maria. "Shall we start with the bride?"

"Yes, that would be a good idea. Do you want any help with the dresses Tasha?" Pepper asks the red head.

"If I need help Pep, I'll call, promise." Natasha follows Ellen behind a screen and after a few bouts of swearing drifting to their ears; Natasha emerges in a long white dress with a red neckline. There's a red pattern at the bottom of the dress as well, but the skirt is far too big for Natasha.

"Opinions?" Ellen inquires.

"Too big," Natalia and Sarah say in unison. The two sisters high five at their decision and managing to voice their dislike of the dress at the same time.

"I'm with the girls. Perhaps something narrower?" Pepper suggests and the rest of the women present nod in agreement. Natasha smiles gratefully and disappears behind the screen. Natasha comes out in another dress, the top held up by a strap that went from her left shoulder around her neck and back to that shoulder forming a small knot there. The dress was wavy and looked very good on Natasha. Natasha trips, however, on the overly long dress.

"It is number one right now," Pepper voices after they talk for a bit. The next dress Natasha gets the seal of approval from her daughters. The strapless dress forms to her figure beautifully. Around the waist is a red band that signifies her waistline. Down from there is a plain white skirt that is longer in the back with a sheer fabric skirt over top of the plain white skirt.

"Mom, you look amazing," Natalia says as Natasha shows off the design.

"Veil or no veil?" Ellen inquires.

"I saw something that I think would look nice for Natasha," May says getting up. She walks across the store to a display and picks up one of the boxes. She brings it over and shows it Natasha and then to the group. The metal silver-white headband looks like small waves with one red band wave through the whole headband.

"Aunt May, you are amazing," Sarah muses.

"Thank you dear, I do try."

"I think we have a winner," Natasha says to Ellen. "I'll take this and the headband."

"Oh course. Let's get you undressed. Shall the Maid of Honor be next?" Ellen inquires.

"Of course, but we have two actually," Pepper says with a smile. "Natasha couldn't choose so both Sarah and I are the Maids of Honor."

"Well, between the two of you, decide who should go first," Ellen says softly. Pepper looks over at Sarah who stands up easily. "Do you have dress shoes dear?" Ellen peers at Sarah's combat boots. Sarah looks at Natalia who tosses her the shoes.

"Thanks Sis." Sarah walks disappears behind the screen with her mother. She helps Natasha change back before changing her shoes and handing the boots to Natasha. Ellen smiles as she brings over a rack of dresses with Sarah's name on the rack.

"Do you think she'll throw a fit?" Ava asks Natalia.

"You should have seen her in Asgard. Loki and I had fun trying to keep her in her formal dresses at times," Sif laughs.

"Remember that time we went to the Harvest Feast and she showed up in trousers? I still can't believe we had to have Hogun, Fandral, and Loki drag her back to her room to change," Sigyn laughs.

"You will have to share the story later, Sigyn," Natasha laughs whole-heartedly.

"Holy shit," Ava gasps. Everyone turns around to see Sarah standing there in a dress that has them all gawking. The red dress is strapless and floor length. There's a cut on the left side of the skirt from the mid-upper thigh down. Around the chest piece, white thread creates an elaborate design of flower or star look on it.

"Baby, perfect," Natasha says dead serious. "That is the perfect dress for you."

"You sure it's not too provocative?" Sarah asks hesitantly looking at the long slit on it.

"You sound like Dad. It's perfect for you Sis," Natalia insists.

"Well, that finishes her up for now. Miss Potts, would you like to come back for your fitting?" Ellen inquires. Pepper nods and comes around the screen with Sarah and Ellen. Sarah rejoins the group in her regular clothes a while later. A moment later, Pepper comes out in a red dress. The two spaghetti straps are on the far sides of her shoulders. There's a pattern of silver colored metal beads, strips, and designs from her cleavage to her navel with the sides curve down to her waist line.

"Well, that's Pepper's dress," Sue laughs softly.

"It looks great Pepper," Natasha insists.

"Let's do the Flower Girl next." Natalia follows Pepper back behind the screen. Ellen, after seeing the group as a whole, had figured out what each person might like. Pepper comes out grinning and Natalia comes out in a red dress, one shoulder on the right, with a flower where the shoulder strap met the main part of the dress. It was floor length and had a pattern from her waist up that made it look like the dress was wound around her.

"Baby sis, you look amazing," Sarah says with a smile.

"Thanks sis." Natalia disappears with Bobbi, Sif (who was picked up as a bridesmaid the second she arrived), and Maria following her as they were the remainder of the bridesmaids. The trio steps out matching plain red strapless dresses with a white sash around their middles.

"We thought we could match," Maria says looking at Bobbi and Sif.

"You look wonderful," Natasha insists. The three change and Sigyn goes behind the screen to find a dress as well. She chooses a red dress that from the waist up looks like it was wrapped on her to her upper chest. The halter strap was covered with silver rectangular gems. Sue, Janet, and Darcy all pick out the same dress because that dress was actually very flattering on them. Ava goes behind the screen and picks out her dress.

"Damn Ava, you're going to have Danny swooning," Sarah laughs. The dress Ava had chosen is floor length with a slit up the middle of the dress to Ava's mid-thigh area. There's a beaded band around her stomach that meets the halter-top half of the dress. The red looks very flattering on her and she smiles.

"Thanks. I'm not one for dresses, but this one caught my eye," Ava says with a soft smile. They had to practically beg Ava to be at the wedding, but she now knows that she'll like the time. May is the last to go and find a dress. The older woman comes out in a simple red dress with a white cut off coat.

"That looks wonderful May," Natasha insists.

"Thank you Natasha." May changes back and Ellen sends the chosen dresses to be put in bags.

"So, now we'll move on to the Potts wedding," Ellen says looking at her list. Pepper goes off behind the screen to choose her dress. Pepper's white dress was beautiful. It was tighter in fit, but it fit her very well. There was a silver band around her waist that made it even better. The straps settled easily on her shoulders.

"Pep, Tony will faint when he sees you," Bobbi laughs.

"I'll have a camera ready!" Sarah giggles in excitement. Natasha is next. She picks out a gold dress with a silver band around her waist. The neckline dipped down into Natasha's cleavage but it wasn't too revealing. She finishes the look with a gold wrap. Sarah, the Flower Girl, goes next. She chooses a silver dress instead of a gold one.

"The theme is Iron Man," Pepper counters.

"And how many suits does Tony have with the silver on them?" Sarah counters. "The briefcase armor, the Mark II before Rhodey trashed it, and he has a few in-progress with silver. Please Pep? I don't look good in gold."

"Pep, it looks good on her," Maria insists. The silver dress has a halter-top design to it. The chest piece cuts off an inch above Sarah's belly button all the way around with a gold band connecting the chest piece to the skirt piece. The gold band then expands on the chest piece as a solid metal band (painted gold) to hold Sarah's chest and clamped around her neck to hold it up. On the skirt, the gold cloth band is sewn into the silver skirt and outlines the sides of the dress hem until Sarah's mid-thigh where there are slits on both sides.

"All right. It looks good," Pepper concedes.

"Thank you Pep!" Ava leans up to Natalia as Sarah goes behind the screen again.

"Can you say Sexy Flower Girl?" Ava giggles.

"Aaron is going to be jealous," Natalia laughs in return.

"More like he'll rip Loki off her," Sigyn laughs. "I'll have to warn Loki of a territorial boyfriend." Bobbi, Sif, and Maria settle on simple gold dresses with a silver band around their stomachs. These have only a left shoulder but include wraps, so the three are smiling. Natalia ends up copying her sister, just with a decent dress, silver looks better on the sisters. Ava goes with a mixture of silver and gold in a one-shoulder dress. May goes with a gold dress with a silver coat; no she went with the silver dress with a gold coat at the last minute. Sigyn has Sif run her back to Asgard and Sigyn picks up a gold dress from Asgard for herself. Sue, Janet, and Darcy pick out three different dresses with a mixture of silver and gold. Once all the dresses are picked, the girls raid the shoes and the jewelry. Tony wouldn't like their bill but hey, Steve was paying for the boys.

* * *

Across town, the boys are in a suit store that Tony had rented out for the day. After nearly an hour of mismatching suits for the men, they had all had on black suits.

"Thor, why do you have to have such wide shoulders?" Tony questions as they finally found a coat that fit Thor properly. It was the group's opinion that shopping for Thor and Steve was never easy, their muscles tended to mess up the suits.

"Mother is still trying to figure that one out, Tony," Loki laughs. The God of Mischief is reclining on one of the leather chairs. His black hair is down instead of in its normal ponytail. "The year he became a man, he went through five suits of armor, he out grew them all."

"And yet, Brother, you still managed to find Sigyn for a bride, even though you are meeker than I," Thor laughs.

"Fandral is meeker than you and has yet to find a bride. Of course, if he ever did, he would cheat on her. I believe the word is playboy, yes?" Loki questions looking to Tony.

"You have an Asgardian version of Tony?!" Clint laughs clutching his sides as they started to hurt from the pain.

"Dad, why do I have to wear a monkey suit?" SJ complains.

"Because you have to look nice for the wedding," Steve answers.

"Can't I wear a vest or something? This jacket is uncomfortable," SJ whines. Loki spots a black vest, snaps his fingers, and SJ is in the vest and the jacket is in his hand. "I'll put the jacket on for the ceremony, promise!"

"Fine. Loki, no magic," Steve warns.

"Sorry Captain," Loki says before muttering on his breath, "No I'm not." SJ high fives Loki and the god beams. He and SJ were getting along nicely after all.

"So, ties gentlemen?" the man helping them inquired.

"We'll need two sets of ties. Let's see what you have," Tony says motioning for the gang to follow him. They walk over to the stand of ties and the two grooms set about looking for the correct ties. Tony tosses one to Steve as Steve tosses one at Tony. The two teammates look down at the ties and then at each other with identical smiles.

"So, red and gold," Tony chuckles looking at the tie. It is base red with streaks of gold. "Very fitting. Thank you Steve."

"Red, white, and blue, you know me so well Tony. All right, step on up and get a tie boys," Steve orders. The group grabs a tie of each color before going over to find shoes for the occasion. After changing back into their regular clothes, they head for the Tower again. The two groups hid their clothes before meeting each other for dinner. Aaron sneaks a kiss from Sarah while Steve isn't looking.

"So, the parties are Friday night," Tony says, "and the other parties will be the following Friday night. The girls are headed to the hotel for Friday night. The ballroom will be set up for us and the indoor garden is being prepared for the wedding on Friday. Steve and Natasha will take their one-week honeymoon to Paris, France from Saturday night until Friday morning. Then Pepper and I will be taking a week honeymoon in a remote little ski resort until the following Friday night, and we should be back here by the morning. Nobody kill each other over the next few weeks."

"We're not all that trigger happy," Clint scoffs. His eyes stray to a few assassins around the table.

"I'm going to turn in early. I've got a headache," Sarah says softly after putting her dishes away. Sarah flinches when the phone goes off and puts her hand to her head. Bruce watches as her gauntlet lights up the second she's away from the group. Aaron watches her leave for a second before moving to follow her. Tony puts a hand on Aaron's shoulder and motions the kid to follow him for a moment. Aaron and Tony step into his office.

"Tony, what's up with her gauntlet lately?" Aaron asks the billionaire. "It keeps lighting up."

"Aaron, there's something I think you should know. Sarah's sick right now. Bruce and I have the treatment inside of her gauntlet and we're working to help her. Can you make sure she doesn't get into any physical confrontations for a while?" Tony asks him. Aaron nods and Tony sighs. The billionaire pulls out a sealed see-through case the size of a mini-lap top from his desk. He holds it out to Aaron and he sees the flask device. "Give it to Sarah. She needs a refill. Tell her this one is stronger and that I told you the bare minimal." Aaron nods and takes the case from Tony. "Don't tell anybody. Only Bruce, myself, Sarah, and a few other scientists know. Not even Steve knows." Aaron nods again and hides the case in his sweatshirt. He walks out and down to Sarah's room. The door opens with a tap of his knuckle and he sees Sarah sitting on the bed, her skin is pale, she's shaking, and she looks like she's in pain. Aaron closes and locks the door before walking over to her. He sits down and opens the gauntlet up. He removes the flask from the gauntlet and places the new one in. He seals the gauntlet back up, hears the hiss as the flask seals into the gauntlet, and administers the medicine. Sarah recovers after a few moments and Aaron puts a hand to her cheek. Sarah looks at him with tears in her eyes.

"What did he tell you?" Sarah whispers.

"Tony said you were sick and that they're trying to help you. The new flask is stronger than the last one." Aaron rubs her cheek softly. "He's worried, I can see it."

"Will you stay with me tonight, Aaron?" Aaron nods and kisses her lips softly.

That next Friday night, the girls are all in the massive suite at a hotel for the night. The dresses are hung up and the girls are all in their relaxing clothes. The women present are Maria, Natasha, Pep, Sarah, Natalia, Bobbi, Sif, and Sigyn. They are watching a cheesy love story movie. Sarah and Natasha toss popcorn at each the others when they cry over the movie. Pep and Bobbi insist on paint everyone's nails. Over all, it's a very good night. Over at Stark Tower, they were having fun as well. A multitude of games, movies, and challenges had the boys laughing hysterically.

"You ready to be married Steve?" Clint asks Steve as they settle on random couches and air mattresses for the night.

"Back before the Ice, I thought I'd marry Peggy. But now I see that I wasn't ready back then. Now, I love Tasha with all my heart and soul. No one has ever made me that happy before. She's amazing," Steve says with a smile. "I don't think I could imagine living without her."

"What about the little one on the way, my friend?" Thor inquires.

"The kid will make it just that much better," Steve chuckles softly.

* * *

**I'm splitting the wedding stuff into three mini chapters. This is Mini Chapter # 1. They get shorter as we go, then we'll be back to normal. **


	27. Wedding Mini Chapter: Rogers-Romanoff

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE AVENGERS OR MARVEL!**

* * *

"I don't know if I can make it through the ceremony," Natasha stammers as they sit in the preparation room across from the spot they're marrying at.

"Sarah will catch you if you faint," Pepper insists. Sarah nods as she adjusts Natalia's hair silently. "Don't worry Tasha. Everything will be fine." Natasha nods numbly. Natalia and Sarah hug their mother firmly before heading out to help the boys finish getting ready.

"Hey, Bucky," Aaron calls as the soldier hurries toward Sarah with the bouquet Sarah is supposed to hold during the wedding.

"What Aaron, I'm busy," Bucky counters.

"One wrong move during that dance you have with my girl later and I'll make you wish you weren't born," Aaron threatens.

"What? Why would I…?" Then Bucky sees Sarah. "I'll behave!"

"Good." Aaron walks over and kisses his girl before going off to help seat the guests.

"God, he's really overprotective you know," Bucky mutters handing Sarah her bouquet of red, white, and blue roses.

"He's my boyfriend, what do you expect?" Sarah scoffs. "You need to fix your tie."

"It's fine." Sarah hands him the bouquet and quickly fixes his tie for him. She does the same when she sees SJ with his tie offset.

"Wow, that's a lot of people," SJ murmurs looking at the growing crowd. Sarah turns and stares at the large amount of people that had shown up for the wedding. Escorting people to their seats were Luke, Danny, Sam, and Peter. The four ushers smile at each guest and show them to seats according to party. Ava and Aunt May are greeting each party and sending them off with the ushers. MJ, Gwen, Flash, and Harry are all busy so they aren't there with them.

"Looks like the X-Men have arrived," Bucky comments looking at the line of people arriving. Professor Xavier is once again with Dr. Moira. The pair is shown to a pair of seats in the general assembly area. Logan smiles as he spots Bucky and Sarah and follows Peter to Steve's side of the guests with Storm on his arm. The kids all file into seats neatly and converse with each other. The next batch is the Fantastic Four and Alicia. The five of them are seated and Sue admires the decorations. Hank Pym walks in with Janet on his arm. Janet squeals at the decorations and pleads with Luke to let them sit by Sue and Reed. Sigyn is, well a teenager, and sits on Natasha's side with Loki sitting next to her. The two are smiling and Sarah smirks when she sees Loki kiss Sigyn's cheek. Another group of people arrives, these people are all from SHIELD and all dressed quite formally in identical black suits and red dresses. SJ points as Dr. Madden arrives with three young adults escorting him. Sarah recognizes them from times that she had trained with other kids.

"Do you know them?" Bucky inquires.

"Well, those are some faces I haven't seen for quite some time. All three are mutants," Sarah says offhandedly. "They lost contact on a mission, I always figured they found a chance and ran."

"Will you introduce me to them?" SJ asks.

"Of course little brother." Three more faces, faces she didn't expect to see, show up in the doorway with an older gentleman. "Excuse me." She hands her bouquet to Bucky and hurries across the room.

"Oh Sarah, I was looking for you," Peggy chuckles softly.

"I didn't know you were going to be able to make it," Sarah breathes hugging her.

"Neither did we. But our trip to Oregon was canceled and I called Nick. Nick was more than happy to get us on the list," Peggy chuckles. Sarah hugs Dugan.

"Hello Tim, good to see you again. Didn't expect to see you here," Sarah chuckles hugging him.

"Well, my grandfather didn't want to come alone," Tim chuckles. Sarah turns to the older gentleman who takes off his bowler hat and smoothes his mustache.

"You haven't changed much since the last time I saw you," Dum Dum Dugan laughs.

"Oh, Dugan I missed you," Sarah whispers as she hugs the older man. "I was told you were dead."

"Not dead, in protection," Dum Dum corrects her. "Worked for Nick for a few years, made a few enemies, so they had me disappear. I wanted to surprise your father."

"He's going to be so happy to see you." Peter walks over and looks at the group.

"Where am I sitting you all?" Peter inquires.

"Oh anywhere is fine dear," Peggy insists.

"No. Peter, put them on Dad's side. They're old friends," Sarah says with a smile. Bucky walks up to Sarah.

"Sarah, Tasha needs you," Bucky says handing her the bouquet.

"Bucky," Dum Dum breathes. Bucky looks up and then hugs the older man tightly. "Damn boy, I didn't know."

"Winter Soldier is the new code name, but everyone still calls me Bucky. Peggy, it's good to see you again as well. These must be Sharon and Tim the Third. Nick's told me about you. It's good to see you again," Bucky laughs.

"Bucky, behave," Sarah warns before heading off to her mom's preparation room. She walks over to Natasha who is starting to get really nervous. "Mom, you'll be fine."

"I can't believe I'm actually getting married," Natasha breathes. "I always said that love was for children."

"Yeah, well, sometimes the child in us comes out as adults. Everything will be fine, Mom, I promise." Natasha nods and Pepper comes to the door.

"It's time to line up." The procession is quickly lined up; Steve is down the aisle first. Next are the bridesmaids and groomsmen. Next down the aisle are Bobbi and Clint. The two blonds smile fondly at each other and at the crowd as they walk down the aisle. Maria Hill is beautiful as she walks down the aisle with Bruce. Betty couldn't make it for the wedding, something about her father going nuts, so Maria stepped in with pleasure. It was either Maria or Darcy, and Darcy was content with sitting next to Sigyn talking about the stupidity of Thor and Loki at times. Last down the aisle are Thor and Sif who smile at the simplicity of this marriage compared to their own.

"Who's first again?" Sarah asks Pepper softly.

"I am."

"Good, cause I'm mega nervous," Sarah mutters.

"This coming from the girl that's time traveled," Bucky chuckles softly. Pepper and Tony walk down the aisle arm in arm to the archway. They separate and take their places. The wedding planner nods to Sarah and Bucky and the pair walk down the aisle slowly. Aaron's face is boiling red as he watches Bucky lead her down the aisle. Sarah takes her place next to Pepper and smiles at the other girls. Bobbi leans toward Sarah as she goes to take her place and says, "Your mother is in nervous."

"I know," Sarah says never breaking the smile on her face as she adjusts her position between Pepper and Bobbi. To many, it would be amazing to find out that people that fought entire armies would be nervous to marry, but the fact is they are all just normal people in the end no matter what. Nick Fury walks down the aisle with his officiator book in hand, seems like he had to check on Natasha before coming down the aisle. SJ comes next, quickly walking to his places in the groom's side of the wedding party. Natalia spreads flower petals as she walks down the aisle and then joins the bridesmaids' line up.

"Thank you for doing this sir," Steve says looking at Nick as they wait for Natasha.

"It is my pleasure Cap," Nick chuckles. When they had found out that Nick could officiate the ceremony, well they all went a little giddy with happiness. The bride's song starts and they all watch as Natasha emerges from the other room with Phil guiding her down the aisle. Many comment and talk about Natasha's dress as she walks toward Steve. Steve's eyes are glued on Natasha; his soon-to-be wife looks stunning today. They get to the front of the aisle and Nick clears his throat.

"Who gives this woman to this man?" Nick inquires.

"I do, sir," Phil says. Phil kisses Natasha's cheek and places her hand in Steve's. Steve smiles and helps Natasha up the step to his side.

"Friends, family, colleagues, we are gathered here today to be witnesses to the marriage of Steven Rogers and Natasha Romanoff," Nick says loud and clear. The vows are exchanged and the technicalities taken care of. "Do you Natasha Romanoff, take Steve Rogers to be your lawfully wedded husband, in sickness and in health, to death do you part?" Nick asks Natasha.

"I do."

"Do you, Steve Rogers, take Natasha Romanoff to be your lawfully wedded wife, in sickness and in health, to death do you part?" Nick asks looking at Steve.

"I do."

"The rings." SJ presents the rings to his parents and they take the rings.

"With this ring, I thee wed," Natasha says slipping the ring on Steve's finger.

"With this ring, I thee wed," Steve repeats as she slips the ring on Natasha's hand.

"By the powers vested me in, I pronounce you man and wife, you may kiss the bride," Nick says with a smile. Steve kisses Natasha passionately and Sarah smiles at the sight. The crowd goes wild with applause and the new couple turns toward the group. "May I present Steve and Natasha Rogers." The group erupts again and everyone smiles. The others all file into the reception, in the gigantic ball room, while the wedding party takes pictures for an hour straight.

"Congratulations," Sarah says hugging her parents.

"We're finally a full family," Natasha says with a smile as she hugs her other children. They travel to the reception and quickly get dinner underway. After they all settle down and the wedding party has finished eating, Steve calls attention to the table. He stands with Natasha at his side.

"Before we have our other speakers talk, we just wanted to thank you for being with us today on a very special day. And for those of you that do not know, we are expecting a child in mid July," Steve announces. The room explodes in clapping and cheers. "Now, I'll hand it off to the rest of the wedding party." Tony stands first and smiles at the group.

"Well, you all know who I am so I'll skip introductions," Tony says with a chuckle. "I grew up on stories of the great Captain America; my dad told me all about him. I never once thought that I'd be sitting on his left at his wedding giving the Best Man speech. The first time I met Steve, we didn't get along so well. But then we bonded and we became good friends. I met Natasha during one of the hardest times of my life. She's an amazing person. So, before I make a complete and utter fool of myself, I'd like to say this. Steve, Tasha, the two of you were made for each other. You complete each other. It's amazing that you didn't get hitched sooner, hell, Clint and I had a bet on it. Congratulations and may your many children drive you up the wall," Tony laughs. "To the newlyweds!" They all toast them and Steve kisses Natasha again. Tony sits down and hands the microphone to Bucky who stands.

"My name is James Barnes, though Steve calls me Bucky. I grew up with Steve. I fought alongside him in the war. I always called him a fool for not getting a gal back then or even about his refusal to dance, but I see now that he was waiting for the right partner, and that partner is Natasha. Natasha is probably the best thing to happen to Steve besides his kids. I mean, have you seen the three rascals? And they're expecting another. Steve, no offense buddy but you're nuts to keep having kids. I wish you the best of luck in your marriage. To the couple!" Bucky cheers. Steve smirks as everyone has a drink. Bucky hands the microphone to Pepper who stands up.

"I've known Natasha for a number of years, since she helped to save Tony's life. She's always been there for me and I hope to always be there for her. When all the Avengers came to live at the Tower with us, I saw how lonely Natasha was. When I met Cap, I saw how lonely he was. I knew that they'd hit it off. The happiest days I've seen Natasha have been with Steve and vice versa. Steve, Natasha, I wish you the best," Pepper says raising her glass. "To Steve and Natasha." The couple kisses again and Pepper hands her microphone to Sarah who stands up with a smile.

"I'm Sarah Rogers, Steve's oldest kid. I didn't grow up with my parents, I wish I had, they're amazing parents. I met my parents a year ago. They rescued me from people that didn't treat me very nice. Even before they knew I was Steve's, they took me in. These two, they're amazing. There's nothing they can't do together, including raising kids. There's me, my little brother SJ, and my little sister Natalia. We drive them up the wall, push them over their limits, but they always remain in control and love us to death. Mom, Dad, I wish you the best of luck in this marriage. But a word of advice, make sure Uncle Clint doesn't teach the newest one to climb in the vents. I'm not going after it," Sarah giggles. The tables erupt in laughter at the thought of the young woman slithering through vents in search of a child. "To my parents." Sarah hands the microphone to her mother and sits back down.

"Well, we're going to start the dances now," the DJ announces. "The first dance will be the Newlyweds Dance." Steve leads Natasha by the hand to the dance floor. A song from the forties kicks on and the two smile and dance to it slowly.

"Aren't they adorable?" Tony chuckles looking to Sarah and Pepper.

"Our little boy is all grown up," Pepper says with fake tears.

"So, Sarah, when are you going to marry Barton?" Tony questions. Clint tosses an olive at Tony who glares over at Clint. "It's a fair question." The dance ends and everyone claps happily.

"Now we're going to have the Father Daughter dance for the bride," the DJ announces. Phil walks onto the dance floor and takes Natasha's hand.

"Thank you for this Phil," Natasha says with a smile as they dance about the room.

"It is my pleasure Natasha. I have a surprise for you," Phil says with a smile. He turns to show another man standing there. The man is quite old and it brings a tear to Natasha's eyes. "He can only stay for the dance. He's just passing through." Natasha nods and hurries to the other man. She hugs him and he smiles down at the red head with fatherly affection.

"Natasha, my pretty little one, let's dance," he says with a gracious smile.

"Ivan," Natasha breathes as they start to dance. Phil smiles over to Steve who nods in approval. It had taken quite a lot of begging of a few people to get Ivan here and even then, no one had even been sure that he'd make it honestly.

"I wish you nothing but happiness my dear," Ivan says with a tear in his eye. "I can see you are happy here. But one thing before I leave," Ivan says with a pause as the song ends, "I wish to meet your children." Natasha nods and motions her kids down to her side.

"Kids, this is Ivan. He helped raise me, he's as close as you'll get to a grandfather on my side," Natasha says looking up at Ivan with admiration. Sarah holds out her hand to him.

"It is a pleasure, Ivan," Sarah says with a smile.

"Would it be too much to ask for a hug of the young one?" Ivan inquires. Sarah shakes her head and hugs Ivan. "You take care of your mother. You look capable of it." Ivan turns to SJ. "Well, a boy. Now you protect your mother and sisters for me. And if you ever need a few connections in Russia, you look me up. Mr. Coulson should be able to help you with that."

"Yes sir. I'm SJ, sir."

"No doubt after your father. If you are as strong as him, then the world shall be in good hands." Ivan turns to Natalia who curtseys some. "Well, well, a mini Natasha, but with her father's eyes. Amazing. And you look just as strong and brave as your sister and mother. Must be the family genes, eh? May I get a hug from you, little one?" Ivan asks her.

"Yes sir. I'm Natalia, sir."

"A fitting name with one with Natasha's hair." Ivan hugs Natalia and the red head smiles softly. Steve walks over and offers a hand to the older gentleman. "Captain, it is good to see you again, and so young! I trust you with Natasha. I know you will honor her," Ivan says to him as they shake hands.

"I'm glad you approve." Phil steps up to them.

"You have to leave now Ivan. Your flight is waiting," Phil informs him.

"Thank you, Mr. Coulson, for helping me see this day. Farewell," Ivan says with a broad smile. The old man leaves the room and Steve quickly explains to some confused guests as to whom the man was.

"As for the Mother Son dance, we're changing it to a Daughter Father dance," the DJ says. Sarah smiles as she walks up to Steve with her hand extended. He takes it and they walk out to the dance floor together. The wedding guests find it a touching dance.

"Thank you for dancing with me Sarah," Steve says softly. Sarah smiles and, behind Steve's back, motions for Peggy to come over. The older woman walks onto the floor and Sarah hands her father off to Steve. "Peggy."

"Hello Steve. Sarah wanted me to have a final dance with you." Steve looks at Sarah who nods.

"My gift to you Dad."

"Thank you baby." Steve dances with Peggy and Sarah feels a hand on her shoulder. She looks over to see Tony there next to her.

"Very nice," Tony says with a smile. "Don't pull the ole 'long lost people' dances at my wedding, okay?"

"But that takes all the fun out of it," Sarah scoffs.

"Knowing you, you'd go back in time and kidnap Dad."

"Don't give me ideas Tony."

"Well," the DJ says calling everyone back together, "the wedding party will dance now." Bucky offers his hand to Sarah. She smiles and walks out on the floor with him. Tony and Pepper are quick to dance next to them. The floor fills up with the party and they dance.

"They're happy," Bucky chuckles as they admire Steve and Natasha. "Never figured Steve would marry before me. Talk about reversing roles."

"Yes, you were quite the lady's man back in the War," Sarah laughs.

"Enough that I helped you stop being homesick," Bucky tosses back.

"Yes, well, I have Aaron back, and I love him with my whole heart and soul."

"Promise me something," Bucky says softly as the song starts to slow down, "whatever happens, you won't come after me."

"What? Bucky what are you talking about?" Sarah demands.

"I have to go on a mission," Bucky says softly. "You all are the only family I have and I know with how long I'm going to be gone that people are going to get worried. Don't come after me this time, okay? It's for your own safety."

"When will we see you again?" she breathes.

"I don't know, but hopefully when you see me again, things will be safer." Sarah nods softly. "Promise me you won't come after me unless ordered by Director Fury himself."

"I-I promise Bucky. Just be safe, for me and the family," Sarah whispers softly. Bucky nods and kisses the top of her head. When the song ends, Bucky disappears in the crowd. Sarah steps off to the side and wipes away the tears.

"All the single men please come to the dance floor." Sarah turns around to watch the event. Steve takes off Natasha's garter and prepares to send it into the group of men there. Tony isn't present; otherwise, Steve would have purposely put it in his face since Tony's the next person to marry. He smirks as he finds his target. He turns around and aims backwards. He winks to Clint and sends it right into Aaron's face. Aaron catches the garter and looks at it before turning rosy red.

"You get Sarah," Steve tells Natasha as Natasha takes her bouquet from the table.

"On it Honey," Natasha chuckles. Natalia makes sure to bring Sarah into the group and the blond stands there idly. Natasha winks at Natalia and aims for Sarah. Natasha aims over her head and the flowers land in Sarah's crossed arms. The blond catches the flowers before they have a chance to fall out of her hands and she blushes deep scarlet. Steve whispers something in Natasha's ear and Natasha nods. Steve says something to Aaron as he goes to hand it to Natasha. Aaron tries to refuse something but it doesn't work out. Tony tosses Steve a microphone and the groom smiles broadly.

"Well, normally I wouldn't be one to suggest this, but, seeming as Aaron and Sarah caught the bouquet and garter respectively, Aaron has to put it on her leg," Steve announces.

"WHAT?!" Sarah screeches, but that's not heard over the crowd's clapping and laughing. Natasha puts Sarah in a chair and Aaron kneels before Sarah.

"Babe, sorry," Aaron whispers.

"Love you too Aaron," Sarah mutters. Aaron smiles and lifts the dress up enough that he can get the garter around her shoes. Sarah blushes as he pushes the garter up her leg to her thigh. He squeezes her leg softly before extracting his hand from the dress. The laughter and claps in the room make the couple blush. Aaron helps Sarah up and gives her a passionate kiss on the lips.

"Looks like we know who's marrying next," Tony laughs to Steve.

"Great, the world's best archers and the world's best super soldiers and spies are going to be related and have little munchkins running around one day, that's going to be interesting," Clint laughs.

"They're going to call you and Cap grandpa," Tony points out.

"Oh god. I didn't think of that!" The dancing kicks up and the kids have a blast. Sarah and Aaron dance together constantly. Natalia dances with Buck. SJ dances with Laura, surprisingly. Danny and Ava dance the slow songs but for the fast songs, Ava dances with Peter. The X-Men and Johnny have a ball, as do Tim and Sharon. SJ and Natalia beg Sarah to introduce them to Dr. Madden's companions toward the end of the party. Sarah leads them over and smiles as the kids look up at her.

"Hello Sarah, SJ, Natalia, how have you been?" Madden inquires.

"Adapting," Natalia chuckles. "We haven't met them before. But Sarah recognizes them."

"She should," Madden chuckles.

"Joe, Avery, and Trevor. Seems the last time I saw all of you, you were taller than me!" Sarah laughs.

"Silent?" Joe gasps. "Damn you grew up!" Joe hugs her and laughs spinning her around. "And you're talking again! What did you do to your hair, it's so short!"

"I like it short. Easier to fight with. Joe, it's good to see you. These are my little siblings Natalia and SJ. They're a handful," Sarah laughs.

"So you're all Steve and Natasha's adopted kids?" Avery questions.

"Heck no! SJ and I are Steve's clones, and Natalia here is both Steve and Natasha's daughter. All Corporation issue," Sarah chuckles. "I'll leave you all to get acquainted. I have to go stop a certain young man from getting turned into a frog." A puff of green smoke happens. "Looks like I was too late. Excuse me. Loki! Turn him back this instant!" Sarah shouts running toward him as Sam, in frog form, floats in front of Loki.

"He picked on Sigyn!" Loki protests. Sarah thinks about it a moment.

"Just turn him back but uh…" Sarah leans in close and Loki smiles mischievously. Sam appears in front of them, but with neon pink hair, neon purple eyes, and neon green fingernails.

"AH!" Sam runs around for the next ten minutes acting like an idiot until Thor sticks his arm out and clotheslines the teen knocking him unconscious. Clint high fives Thor and the Thunder God chuckles deeply at the sight. Luke and Danny haul the unconscious teen across the room and lay him down across a row of chairs.

"Sarah." Sarah looks over her shoulder to see Aaron there. She turns to look at him and he holds out a hand. "Can I talk with you?" Sarah nods and follows Aaron out of the main area to a little extra space behind one of the display curtains. Aaron runs his hand across Sarah's cheek and down her neck to her heart.

"What is it Aaron?"

"I…I wanted to ask you if you really love me," Aaron whispers softly. Sarah deadpans before she nods. "Babe, Director Fury is offering a way to get me out of school, but I'd be a full time field agent again. Which would mean I couldn't be around you much."

"Are you breaking up with me?" Sarah whispers softly not looking at him.

"Far from it." Aaron forces Sarah to look at him. "I'm asking you, do you want me to stay?"

"Aaron, I want you to be happy. If that means you leave, then okay. But I love you with all my heart and soul," Sarah insists. She puts her hand on Aaron's face and runs her fingers across his skin. She gets a tear in her eye. "It's your decision. Can I show you something?" Aaron nods and Sarah pulls Loki's gem from the chest piece of her dress. She holds it out in front of them and murmurs something. Threads of color appear around them and some of them connect between the two intricately. Five threads from each of them connect their hearts. Aaron touches the threads and then looks up at her. "Loki taught me how to show these threads. They expand to the people and things around us. They show different relationships." She puts her hands on the cords connecting them. "These are the heart threads." Aaron kisses her passionately and Sarah gasps in surprise. Aaron separates some.

"I won't leave you," Aaron swears. Sarah smiles and puts the gem back and hugs Aaron. "I love you so much."

"I know Aaron." When they reemerge, Steve and Natasha are saying their goodbyes. The newlyweds hug and kiss Sarah before hugging Aaron.

"Take care of her Aaron," Natasha whispers.

"I will." The newlyweds leave for their honeymoon in France. After an hour of clean up, the Avengers and company leave the wedding. Sarah gets back to her room at the Tower and undresses slowly. She takes a long shower and hangs her dress up. This weekend is a long weekend with the professional development day at school Monday they didn't have school Monday. She surfs the web for a little still wrapped in just her towel when a knock at her door catches her attention. She shuts down her computer and opens her door to see Aaron there. He kisses her slowly and hungrily. The Avengers don't see them until ten the next morning.

* * *

Paris, France

"It's beautiful," Steve whispers looking around as they stand in the Eiffel Tower. "I love you Tasha."

"I love you too Steve," Natasha says with a smile.

"The last time I was in Paris, I was still a soldier. The place looks so much better now."

"I know what you mean." Steve produces a rose from behind his back and hands it to Natasha. Natasha smiles and kisses Steve softly on the lips. They share a smile before going off to a café for lunch.


	28. Wedding Mini Chapter: Stark-Potts

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE AVENGERS OR MARVEL!**

* * *

"Tony, the build will take at least three extra weeks," Bruce says softly looking at Tony. "That's two weeks over schedule."

"What's taking so long?" Tony inquires.

"The control devices and how to emit the rays properly without hurting her," Hank answers.

"Tony, we need to talk to Nick and see if he has anything," Sue says softly as she looks at the stats in front of her. "He might have papers that Howard stashed away."

"No, we don't want him in on this!" Tony snaps. "He'll talk to Steve and we'll have him breathing down our necks. It's hard enough to get this done already. Bruce, we need another formula for when the new batch runs out. We have to give her that extra two weeks."

"All ready on it Tony," Bruce mutters as he punches up things on the computer. Later that night, as the rest of the team slumbers, Sarah wanders out of her room hungry at about midnight. As she walks by the stairs to the lab area, a crash reaches her ears. She wanders down the steps to see broken glass all over the floor. She looks up and grabs the doorway frame. After a few momentum-building swings, she catapults across the damage zone and to safety. She walks into the lab via the broken glass wall. Tony is swinging around drunkenly.

"Dum-E! Cleeeean upt that mess vight now!" Tony stammers drunkenly with the bottle still in his hand. He swigs down the last of the bottle and tosses it toward the hallway. Sarah catches it and puts it down. Tony looks at her with groggy eyes. "Vho are you?"

"Tony, it's Sarah," she replies.

"Oh, what are you doing up? You should be in bed! A young thing like you should be sleeping," Tony exclaims stupidly.

"I was hungry. Would you like a little food to go with that drink?" she asks him.

"Fuck no! Takes the fun out it! Go to bed."

"Not until you do," she answers. She walks across the room and takes the bottle from him. He grabs for the bottle but Sarah holds him back. "You're supposed to be sober Tony."

"Yeah, well, I'm relapsing!" he shouts at her. "I can do that!"

"No you can't, Tony. You're an alcoholic," Sarah says flatly.

"What did you call me?" Tony snarls.

"An alcoholic. Someone who has a dependency on alcohol. It's not healthy Tony, especially since you're going to have a little one running around here in a few months," Sarah tells him stubbornly.

"Pepper shouldn't keep the baby. I'm going to be a horrible father, just like my dad was horrible to me. I'll never be there; I'll always be off somewhere doing something else other than pay attention to my kid. I'm not a good man," Tony mutters. Sarah can see the sadness in his eyes. "Or worse, I'll get myself killed and leave the kid without a dad. I suppose Steve would pick up on that duty, he's a better father than I will ever be."

"Tony, you're going to be a great dad. You have all of us to help you too," Sarah points out. "And trust me, Howard was a messed up guy when I knew him. He was an alcoholic too Tony. I stayed at the barracks when he got drunk." Tony looks at her with uncanny sharpness.

"He did?" Tony burps out.

"Yes he did. First time, I got a scotch bottle and a bourbon bottle smashed across my head when he threw them. Second time I was bombarded by beer bottles when I tried to get him to stop drinking. Trust me Tony," Sarah insists. Tony nods and sits down in his computer chair. "Why'd you start drinking?" Tony looks at his hands, picking at the dirt and grease under his nails.

"You."

"Me?"

"The chamber is two weeks behind schedule. We're running out of time. We're running out of formulas to keep you steady. Bruce estimates from the time that you stop having working formulas to the time that you would die to be about a week to two weeks. The medicine he's working on right now will give you an extra week, maybe. After that, we don't know how long it will be until it kills you," Tony grumbles. He looks up at her with tears bubbling. "I'm failing you! If I can't protect my niece how in the hell am I supposed to protect my own kid?!" Tony starts sobbing. Dum-E brings a chair over to Sarah and she sits down next to Tony. She puts her hand on Tony's cheek and forces him to look at her.

"Tony, I accepted a long time ago that I would die. I knew that somehow I would die. And honestly, if it comes to that last week, I'll go in peace. Tony, this is not your fault," Sarah insists. "Tony, everything will work out. If I die, well then there's nothing we can do about it."

"What about Loki? He could talk to Hel! Yeah, that's an idea," Tony stammers.

"Tony, my body would be destroyed anyway," Sarah says softly. Tony looks up at her wanting to cry again.

"You're family! I can't lose my family again."

"I know Tony. Trust me I know," Sarah whispers softly pulling the billionaire into her arms. Tony reaches for the bottle in her hand but she uncorks it and chugs it down before tossing it into the recycling bin. Tony looks at her sharply. "Get over it. It stopped you from drinking it. JARVIS, lock down all the booze from Tony's control and let me know if he gets his hands on any," Sarah orders. Tony's eyes start to drop in exhaustion. She picks up the billionaire and walks toward the hallway. One of the cleaning robots had cleared a path so Sarah walks down that. She walks upstairs to Tony's bedroom and knocks using her knee. Pepper gets up and answers the door. She stares as Sarah lays Tony down on the bed and tucks him in. Pepper looks to her for an explanation.

"He's just really stressed with a project and everything. I had JARVIS lock down all the booze from him. Let him sleep," Sarah says softly. Pepper nods and joins Tony in bed. Sarah heads toward the kitchen again but hears a sound that startles her. A man's yell alerts her to something happening. She opens the bedroom door of the owner and sees Clint thrashing about on the bed. Bobbi isn't at the Tower right now either. Sarah hurries across the room and pins Clint down.

"Clint! Clint, wake up!" Sarah shouts. The Archer snaps awake and gasps for air. Sarah locks eyes with him and he nods. She gets of him and he sits up in the bed. "You want to talk about it?"

"No, but there's no way I'm going back to sleep for a bit," Clint mutters.

"Come on, I was headed to the kitchen, want to join me?" Clint nods softly and Sarah watches him get out of the bed. They go down to the kitchen level and Sarah whips up a couple of sandwiches and two glasses of warm milk. She hands a sandwich and a glass to Clint who eyes them suspiciously.

"Is it drugged?" he inquires.

"No. I'll be doing that to mine later if I can't fall asleep," Sarah laughs. "Always helps me."

"Really?" Clint scoffs looking up at her.

"Yep. Edwin would either have sandwiches and warm milk ready or tea and cookies if I had nightmares. Always put me at ease," Sarah says with a smirk. "Well, that and he put something in it the one time."

"Edwin?" Clint questions as Sarah sits down next to him at the island countertop.

"Edwin Jarvis, the Stark Family Butler," Sarah replies. "He worked for Howard."

"Huh, so that's how JARVIS got his name. What was he like?" Clint inquires.

"Same voice. Very loyal. How he put up with me and Howard I don't know," Sarah mutters.

"How was it, living with Howard Stark?" Clint asks cautiously.

"It was never boring if that's what you're asking. He always looked out for me too. But after Steve disappeared, things weren't the same. He was sadder. But Maria helped cheer him up. I see the basis of Tony in him," Sarah muses.

"You miss them?"

"They were family for a while, but I missed you all more. When I first saw my dad back then, man, I realized I was fucking everything up. It was supposed to be Bucky that broke up that fight, not me," Sarah mutters before sipping her milk. "I tried my best not to affect things."

"You did a good job," Clint chuckles. "Can't find you in the record books anywhere."

"Well, that's thanks to Nick and Howard." Sarah yawns some as she takes a bite out of the sandwich.

"You should go sleep," Clint says.

"Nah, I'm good," Sarah insists. "You should try to sleep. You look beat."

"Feel like it. I was dreaming of the Invasion again, of the thing that was in my head. Never been so petrified in my entire life," he confesses while sipping his milk. "Natasha had to hit me really freaking hard to get me back to normal."

"That's Mom for you," Sarah laughs. Clint watches as the blond drifts off to sleep in her chair. Clint picks her up and takes her back to her room. After he tucks her in, he realizes he's really sleepy too and crashes hard on his bed within seconds.

* * *

"Tony, calm down," Sarah insists as the billionaire paces the room nervously. Tony looks up at her with panic in his eyes. "You've got nothing to worry about Tony. Pepper will say yes, you'll say yes. Everything will be fine." She runs her fingers across the tie in her hand. "Come here." Tony walks over and glances down at his niece as she puts the tie on for him. She fits it snugly around his collar and smoothes the shirt collar down. She takes the flower pin off the table and clips it onto his jacket. She smoothes his shoulders out and trails a hand down to his wrist where she promptly puts a watch onto it.

"I'm nervous as hell," Tony confesses. Sarah rolls her eyes and puts a soft hand on the side of his face. She concentrates and a soft blue energy surrounds her hand. Tony takes a deep breath and smiles confidently. "What did you do?"

"Small calming trick," she answers. "It works off the body's natural energy. You'll do fine Tony." Tony nods and adjusts his coat again. Sarah smiles softly and turns when the door opens. Steve nods at her.

"It's time." He leaves and Sarah looks Tony in the eye.

"You'll do fine." She kisses his cheek for good luck. "Your parents would be so happy for you."

"Thank you for helping me get ready."

"Not a problem Tony. Come on." She leads him out to the procession area. She nods to him encouraging him as he watches Nick go down the aisle in front of him. The pirate had agreed to officiate their wedding as well. The planner nods to Tony who walks out into the aisle. The setting was the same, but the colors are different. They're more Stark Industries employees and associates than at Steve's wedding, but the wedding had roughly the same people there. Tony makes it all the way down the aisle surprisingly. Bobbi, Sif, Maria, Clint, Thor, and Bruce walk down the aisle in their respective pairs as bridesmaids and groomsmen. Steve and Natasha walk arm in arm down the aisle smiling like idiots as they go. They separate to their different sides and smile at each other. Steve sets a hand on Tony's shoulder as the billionaire grows ever more nervous. Loki looks at Sarah before he walks down the aisle with the rings. Someone got the brilliant idea that since he is their ward at the moment, that he should be the ring bearer. Sarah looks behind her to see Pepper there with Phil holding her upright at the moment. To Sarah's knowledge, Pepper didn't have any family other than a few distant cousins she never spoke to because they lived in distant places. Phil was more than happy to walk her down the aisle. Sarah nods to Pepper before she walks down the aisle spreading flower petals as she goes.

"Damn," Tony breathes as he sees Pepper. Sarah snatches a few pictures and tosses the camera to Natalia before Tony can notice. The ceremony goes as planned.

"With this ring, I thee wed," Tony says slipping the ring on Pepper's finger.

"I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride." Tony kisses Pepper just as the sidewall is blown in. Sarah leaps forward with a shield on her arm already. She blocks the newlyweds from the explosion and people start screaming.

"Avengers!" Steve shouts.

"Dad, get the civilians out of here!" Sarah shouts.

"Not leaving you!"

"You don't have a shield!" Sarah counters throwing one of her own at a person that comes through the sidewall. She takes in the symbols she spots on their clothes instantly. "AARON! LOKI! TAKE 'EM DOWN!" Sarah orders. The repulsors appear on her palms and she blasts a man backwards. She grabs the nearest enemy and drags him to the side. "WHO ARE YOU! YOU WEAR HAMMER'S SHIT!"

"Old friends of his, just using his technology for someone else with a lot of power." Sarah knocks the man unconscious and turns toward the oncoming attackers. She charges in shields first, both of them on her activated. She slams her fists down into the men and spread them apart. The sound of gunshots and others joining the fight fills her ears. She reaches the wall and appears outside.

"Holy shit," she breathes. The large trucks full of men are still unloading. Sarah sprints forward and knocks the drivers unconscious. She starts the moving trucks up and the men still inside the trucks start to panic. Sarah uses the seatbelt to set the steering wheel and she uses a broken brick to hold the gas down. She repeats this for the other two vehicles and sends them into empty buildings preparing for demolition across the street. She smirks and runs back to aid in the fight. That's about the time she sees Pepper trying to wake up Maria who is sprawled out on the floor. Sarah jumps onto of a large guy and runs across their heads to the inside of the building. Sarah picks up Maria's sidearm and shoots at the intruders. She picks up Maria and pulls Pepper along with her. Happy is waiting for them in the lobby. Tony appears in the Iron Man armor and tosses something at Sarah. She doesn't have time to catch it but feels it lock onto her chest and envelop her without a word from Tony.

"What is this Tony?" she asks.

"A prototype for your brother's new suit, but I made a spare for you too. Don't worry, you're dress will be fine. You're an Iron Woman for a day. Let's kick some ass shall we?" Tony says with a smile. Sarah nods and the suit rockets to life. The pair dive head first into the enemy and start blasting. After a good twenty minutes of world war three in the wedding room, all the enemies lay dead, unconscious, or severely injured on the floor around them. Sarah bends over in the suit trying to catch her breath. The fever is coming on and she feels exhausted. Hulk and Tony spot the action and soon Bruce is next to her helping her to a chair in another room. Tony walks over and reads her vitals. With the hotel wrecked, the reception is called off.

"Tony, get her back to the Tower, she doesn't look good," Steve says as Tony and Bruce examine Sarah with her helmet off.

"On it Cap. Come on," Tony says hauling the girl to her feet and placing the helmet back on her head. He picks her up, suit and all, and flies back to the Tower. After they're both out of the suits, Tony helps Sarah to the elevator. "JARVIS, where's Vision?"

"Waiting in the medical level hallway by the elevator for you sir," JARVIS answers. Tony nods numbly as the blond clutching him starts to drift into oblivion. Vision picks her up and carries her to the lab. Tony scrambles to find Bruce's latest medicine and find the flask after a bit of digging. Vision lays Sarah down and Tony eases the blond's arm over.

"Tony, not your fault," Sarah whispers softly.

"I know, you beat that into me earlier this week," Tony mutters. He changes the flasks out and seals the gauntlet again. He watches silently for a good twenty minutes. She stops coughing up blood then. It takes a grand total of five hours to get her back to normal. Tony sends Vision for food and he comes back with a sandwich and a soda. The blond takes both and Tony takes a blood sample and a skin sample. Steve comes through the door and looks at Sarah as she eats slowly.

"What's wrong with her?" Steve asks.

"She'll be fine Steve. She hasn't been sleeping and eating well lately. Nightmares and such," Tony says looking at the soldier. "She was just a little weak is all."

"She was fine earlier Tony."

"Dad, just leave it please," Sarah say sternly. The blond gets off the table and heads for the door. Steve grabs Tony the second she's out of the room.

"What is wrong with her?" Steve demands. Tony levels his gaze at Steve.

"In your heart, you know what's wrong," Tony says calmly. Steve releases Tony after a second.

"Pepper is waiting for you. Fury is shipping you out for your honeymoon," Steve tells him.

"We shouldn't go," Tony replies.

"No, you need a break. Go. Bruce will look after her." Tony nods slowly and walks out of the room. Steve walks upstairs to go apologize to Sarah. He turns the corner and sees Aaron crying as he hugs her.

"Aaron," Sarah says softly.

"You scared me," Aaron cries.

"Babe, you should know-."

"No, don't."

"Aaron, it's not looking good," Sarah says softly.

"How much time?" Aaron replies heartbroken.

"Bruce has a serum in the works that will give me an extra two weeks. This round should finish the week off for me. The chamber needs another two weeks of work done to it at least. I can make it until then. But after that, babe, I might have a week. If it comes to that week, I want you to take my dad, mom, and siblings out of here, okay? You all shouldn't see me like that," Sarah says softly. Steve's heart drops.

"What'll happen?" he asks.

"High fever, my body will start to shut down, a lot of bad things."

"It's going to hurt won't it?" Aaron whimpers. Sarah nods and Aaron holds her close.

"Come on Aaron, let's get a little rest." Sarah leads Aaron into her room and Steve puts a hand to his face. His little girl is dying and there's not a damn thing he can do about it. He goes upstairs and says goodbye to Natasha, her plane to Wakanda takes off in an hour. Once she's out of the room, he turns to Bruce who is looking at Clint and Thor. Bruce looks at the Captain.

"Bruce, the labs. Call who you have to," Cap says softly. Bruce's eyes widen. "I'm not stupid. Whatever happened, Tony got her fixed for now." Bruce nods and leaves for the lab already on the phone. Steve says nothing as he sits down on the couch and watches the news reports. He wouldn't be sleeping tonight.

* * *

**Last mini-chapter done. The rest will be normal. **


	29. Sick, Heal, Attack, Shot, Cry

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE AVENGERS OR MARVEL!**

**Sarah: Where is she?**

**Peter: Role playing on here.**

**Sarah: Seriously?**

**Peter:Yes, she's having fun too. **

**Sarah: *glares* the forum must die. **

**Sarge: I OWN MY OCs, BUT NO MORE! MARVEL OWNS THE REST! **

* * *

Sarah walks into the medical lab two weeks later. Bruce is helping Hank build the chamber with Tony running around for supplies. Sue is working on calculations silently. Tony looks up at Sarah who walks over silently. She takes the last flask out of her gauntlet and sets it on the countertop. Tony's eyes widen.

"I won't do anything that will over exert me," Sarah promises. She closes her gauntlet and Tony hugs the blond.

"Everything will be okay kiddo. Bruce has an emergency stabilizer here for you when it happens. It'll give us more time," Tony whispers.

"Don't use it. I don't want to die that slowly," Sarah tells him before walking out of the room. She has tears in her eyes as she walks into her room and lays down to rest. She had her own calculations; she gave it a day before she dropped from the wearing down. Aaron holds her close that night crying into her hair while she held him tight.

* * *

The next day at school, she walks among the students calmly. She felt sick that morning but didn't tell anyone. She walks to the cafeteria and orders her lunch. She walks calmly toward the lunch table where the others are waiting. She had been late to lunch after talking to Coulson about testing out of high school, both her and Aaron at least. Loki seems to enjoy it with Natalia and the others. Aaron waves at Sarah as she approaches. She smiles and picks up her pace slightly.

Then it hits her like a wave. She freezes solid as her muscles clench and then relax unnaturally. The tray of food falls from her hands and clatters loud on the ground of the cafeteria, loud enough that almost every head turns toward her. She clutches her chest as breathing becomes difficult. She coughs and blood immediately appears. Sarah falls forward and lays unmoving on the floor of the cafeteria.

"SARAH! GET THE PRINCIPAL!" Aaron shouts as he sprints toward Sarah with Loki next to him. Aaron flips her over and props her up allowing the blood out. She's unresponsive in his arms. Phil runs up and kneels next to them. Phil looks at Loki who nods and motions for Aaron's hand. Loki casts a small enchantment and the pair disappears, leaving Loki kneeling there.

"Get Natalia and go," Phil orders. The god and the red head hurry to gather their things and go out to the SUV.

"BRUCE!" Aaron shouts as they appear in the medical lab. The scientist looks up and scrambles to help the teen. Tony and Hank are there instantly and help move the unconscious teen to the medical bed. Tony has JARVIS make all the calls.

"Sarah, baby please talk to me," Aaron pleads. The teen's eyes flutter open and she looks at Aaron sleepily.

"Love you." She closes her eyes and drifts off into slumber.

"SARAH! SARAH!" Sue pulls Aaron back as the rest of the Avengers file into the room. They get a hold of Fury who starts the 36-hour attempt to get a hold of Natasha.

* * *

"Son, you need to rest," Steve says softly as he watches Aaron sit by Sarah's bed for the 34th hour in a row.

"I'm not leaving her!" Aaron snaps back. "She wouldn't leave me."

"But she wouldn't want you sick from worrying either," Steve points out. "It's tearing me up too."

"You're not crying!"

"Because I've been doing it every night this week," Steve says somberly. Aaron looks up at Steve cautiously. "I put everything together."

"You love Natasha, that's true love. That's what I feel for Sarah. If it was Natasha, would you do any less?" Aaron counters. Steve sighs and shakes his head no. Aaron runs his fingers through Sarah's hair slowly. "I don't know if I could live without her."

"I know the feeling," Steve says just above a whisper. Aaron puts his hand to Sarah's forehead and frowns at the heat there. Bruce comes in two hours later and administers another shot. He looks at Steve who sits ever vigilant at his daughter's bedside.

"Nick got in touch with Wakanda," Bruce informs Steve. "Natasha and Maria are on their way here with the King of Wakanda and a medicine woman. Tony figures that maybe some of their herbs might help stabilize her."

"How long?" Steve asks him softly. Bruce does the math in his head. The Avengers quinjet runs at about 4,000 mph when cruising thanks to some of Tony's upgrades.

"About two and a half hours," Bruce answers. Steve nods softly as he looks from the doctor to his daughter.

"How long Bruce?" Steve asks him.

"I…"

"Bruce, the truth."

"We need at least 48 hours of work left. And even then the last blood test showed a bad reaction to the new serum," Bruce states softly.

"How long does she have?" Aaron whimpers.

"We don't know." Aaron chokes back a scream and buries his face in her sheets. Steve hurries to Aaron's side and comforts the teen. Bruce walks out and goes back to work. Upstairs in the living room, SJ is curled up on Natalia's lap whimpering. Natalia cries into SJ's hair. Buck comes sprinting into the room comforting the two of them. Clint gets off the elevator with Bobbi and the pair settle in for a long ass night. Loki sits with Thor on the couch watching the sky and praying for a miracle. Loki had told them that not even the Asgardian healers could deal with this. When the Avengers quinjet appears in the horizon, no one moves to greet them. Natasha's fury level would be at Hulk Ground Zero level no doubt.

Natasha quickly opens the ramp of the quinjet. Her eyes land on Sarah's skycycle and she has to choke back the scream of frustration that wants to come from her. T'Challa, the King of Wakanda, along with his healer walks down the ramp with Natasha and Maria. They follow the two SHIELD agents silently through the Tower toward the medical labs. The door to the lab opens silently and Bruce greets them with a very sad face.

"Bruce?" Natasha asks with heartbreak in her voice.

"It's not looking good, Natasha. I'm sorry." Maria catches the red head before she can fall to the ground. Bruce looks to T'Challa and the healer. "I'm Doctor Bruce Banner. It's a pleasure to meet you King T'Challa."

"I wish it was under different circumstances. Will you allow my healer to address the girl's condition?" T'Challa inquires.

"Yes. We could use all the help we can get." Bruce leads the group into the room and Natasha lets out a choked scream at the condition of her baby. Steve hurries to Natasha's side and props the red head up. The healer walks forward and Aaron looks at the woman as she examines Sarah.

"You have medical charts, yes?" she asks Bruce. Bruce hands her the file and the woman reads it over quickly. She reaches into her bag and pulls out a few things. "I can help with the fever so her organs to not overheat. There is also another herb that I could try but every use outside of Wakandan blood lines has not gone well," the woman tells the group.

"If it could help her, please," Steve begs.

"I will need water, she must drink it." The woman prepares two different recipes of herbs. The first one turns out to be a paste applied to different pulse points and the neck. She applies it to Sarah's skin and Bruce watches in amazement as over five minutes Sarah's fever drops to a normal level, just a little high but not enough to cause any damage.

"Boy, will you help her sit up some?" the woman asks Aaron. Aaron nods and helps Sarah sit up. The unconscious blond is limp in Aaron's arms. The medicine woman mixes an herb into the water and holds Sarah's nose close. After Sarah's mouth opens and she breathes, the woman pours the drink in and holds her mouth closed. The blond drinks the mixture and Aaron lays her back down on the bed. All present watch and wait for ten minutes. The blood's heartbeat grows stronger, her blood pressure steadies, and most importantly, the muscle loss slows to a halt. Bruce looks up at the healing woman.

"She is strong willed," the woman comments. "Perhaps some of my herbs could help you find a cure for her condition."

"We have a lab, would you care to join us?" Bruce asks.

"Of course. My life is dedicated to healing people, doctor. King T'Challa I will not be long, hopefully," the woman says.

"We are staying a few days; help them with your knowledge." The woman nods and follows Bruce out of the room. A soft groan causes everyone to look at the blond. Her eyes flutter open and she sees Aaron there.

"Sarah, hey, we're getting closer to a cure," Aaron says rapidly.

"Why do I feel better?" she asks him softly. They can all hear the weakness in her voice.

"My healer has helped stabilize you for now," T'Challa says. Sarah looks up at the man standing by her parents.

"Mom, I thought you were in Wakanda," Sarah murmurs.

"Nick got a hold of me. This is King T'Challa of Wakanda. T'Challa and his healer came back with us," Natasha explains.

"Excuse me," JARVIS says, "it seems that the X-Men have arrived."

"Send Dr. McCoy to the labs. Laura and Rogue may come down and see Sarah," Steve says.

"Yes Captain Rogers." A few minutes later, the lab door opens to reveal Rogue, Laura, Logan, and Storm. The teens hurry to Sarah's side and Laura wraps a hand in Sarah's.

"How you feeling?" Laura asks.

"A little better," she answers. "Thanks for coming."

"Natasha, how are you holding up?" Storm asks the red head.

"Not very well," Natasha replies. Logan supports the weak Captain America who can't peel his eyes off of Sarah for a moment. "Storm, this is King T'Challa of Wakanda. King T'Challa, this is Aurora Monroe of the X-Men."

"It is a pleasure, Miss Monroe," T'Challa says bowing his head.

"It's an honor to meet you sir."

"Aaron, give me that," Sarah says motioning to a nearby rag. Aaron hands it to her as the blond props herself up sitting. She coughs hard causing her whole frame to shake violently. Steve notices the blood soaking through the rag.

"JARVIS, get Bruce," Steve orders. Aaron wraps his arms around Sarah to keep her up right. Bruce comes into the room. He watches for a moment before digging through the cabinet of medicine. He comes back over and gives Sarah the shot to her arm. After a few minutes, the coughing subsides and Sarah leans into Aaron heavily.

"Bruce?" Natasha's voice is full of heartbreak.

"I need to get back to work," Bruce answers not looking her in the eyes. He glances at Sarah and the blond nods.

"It's okay, Uncle Bruce. Go. See you later," Sarah says sleepily. "I think I'm going to take a nap." Sarah gives a look to everyone in the room. They know she won't be waking up unless Bruce and the others can work faster. Rogue hugs the blond tightly.

"See you later," Rogue whispers in her ear.

"You mind talking to Natalia for me?" Sarah asks.

"What do you want me to tell her?" Rogue replies.

"I love her and that she needs to look out for SJ." Rogue nods and walks out of the room. Laura looks at the blond with tears in her eyes. "See you around, Talon. Watch out for my boys and my sis, okay?"

"You got it," Laura insists. "Goodbye, Sarah."

"Sleep well, little one," T'Challa says seriously.

"Thank you, King T'Challa. Storm, pleasure to see you again," Sarah groans out.

"Sleep child." Natasha hugs Sarah and cries into the blond's hair.

"I love you baby girl. We'll find a way," Natasha cries.

"I know Mom. I love you." Steve takes Natasha's place. The blond man takes his daughter in his arms and holds her close to his chest. He smoothes her hair softly and kisses her forehead. "I'll be okay Daddy. I promise." Steve nods softly.

"I love you baby girl." Steve hugs her again and kisses her cheek. Aaron watches them all leave and moves onto the bed with Sarah. He eases her so she's lying down and lies next to her. He brushes her hair back and kisses her temple.

"Sleep well, my sweet," he whispers softly in her ear.

"I love you Aaron." He nods and kisses her lips passionately. He wraps her arms around her until she drifts off to sleep. Bruce had warned them that she might slip into a coma at the end. Seems like it's the end since her brain waves changed. Aaron stays like that for a long time before sitting down on the chair next to the bed. He refuses to move when Natalia tells him to come eat.

* * *

"Steve!" Loki gasps coming into the lab where he watches the scientists work.

"Is she dead?" Steve asks softly.

"No, and I know a way that might be able to give us more time. Where is the Time Gem?" Loki demands. Steve cocks an eyebrow at the god. "It has the ability to freeze time, to slow it down as well! We can use it to isolate the medical lab and stop time!"

"JARVIS unlock the vault," Tony orders. Steve and Tony sprint down the hallways and to the gem. The three men quickly walk into the large vault and Tony hands Steve the box they'd been keeping the gem in. They walk to the medical lab and Aaron looks up at them.

"Aaron, I want you to take this gem," Steve says handing the gem to the boy, "and the second we're out of the room, stop time in the lab. You'll be able to move about but it will stop Sarah's death for a while longer."

"You got it," Aaron answers sternly. Steve, Tony, and Loki walk out of the room and nod to Aaron. A flash of light envelopes the room. Tony looks at the clock and nods in approval. The clock in the lab had stopped. Sarah's body had stilled. They had more time!

"Loki, you're a genius," Tony says before hurrying back toward the lab.

* * *

Upstairs in the living room, the phone rings. Buck picks it up and sighs, "Hello?"

"Is Natalia there?" a female voice asks.

"Who is this?" Buck counters.

"It's Ava." Buck hands the phone to Natalia.

"Hello?"

"Natalia, it's Ava. Can we come over?" Ava asks hesitantly.

"Who is we?" Natalia answers.

"Pete, Luke, Danny, and me. Sam's grounded. MJ can't make it over. Gwen is helping her mom and Harry is, well, we don't know where Harry is right now," Ava mutters. "Flash is at tutoring."

"Yeah, sure you can come over," Natalia answers softly. There's a knock on the door of the balcony. They look up to see Peter there in his suit. "Pete's already here."

"And we're in the lobby," Ava answers. "See you in a few." Natalia hangs up and lets Peter in. Peter looks at SJ who is sleeping on the couch. "Pepper used a sedative on him."

"What's wrong with Sarah?" Peter demands.

"Her serum is degrading," Laura tells Peter. "The geek squad is downstairs trying to figure it out. Aaron is using the time gem to freeze time in the med room Sarah's in."

"Is she going to make it?" Ava asks walking into the room with Luke and Danny.

"We don't know," Natalia answers.

* * *

"Steve, mind holding this up for us?" Bruce asks motioning to the panel of the chamber. Steve picks the panel up and holds it in place while Bruce and Hank Pym secure it in place. He does the same for Tony on the other side of the chamber.

"GOT IT!" Sue screeches out happily. The group looks to her and the medicine woman. "We combined the last serum with some of the Wakandan herbs and vita rays and it stabilized. I mean, Sarah might experience some slight growth but she'd be fine and stable like Steve!"

"How long until you can make the actual injection?" Bruce inquires walking over.

"One hour. Just have to synthesize the serum. So, do your test run of the chamber." Tony mans the generator and test runs the chamber and finds it to be in working condition.

"Let's get this to the medical room next to Sarah's," Tony says. The group nods and Steve pushes the whole unit down the hall to the medical room Tony wants. They set up all the computers and generators in the room. Hank McCoy helps finalize the serum and smiles at Sue when the batch is done. They take the batch to the room and place the vials in the injection pads.

"This is just a little odd," Steve mutters under his breath as he watches the set up.

"Déjà vu?" Logan inquires.

"Big time déjà vu. Stark at the generator controls, a replica capsule." Logan sets a hand on Steve's shoulder in a comforting manner. They call everyone else down and they settle into the room. Tony and Steve walk over to the medical lab and tap on the glass. Aaron looks up at them and they hold up a sign. Aaron turns off the gem and the pair walks into the room.

"We're ready," Tony says to Aaron. Tony unhooks Sarah from all the monitoring devices and Steve gathers his baby girl in his arms. Aaron follows them to the other room and watches as Steve silently lays Sarah down in the capsule. Clint lays a hand on his nephew's shoulder as he watches the blond.

"Odin, let this work," Loki prays and Thor nods in agreement. Bruce locks the injection pads in place. Steve watches silently, Natasha's arm around his waist as they wait silently. Natalia leans into Buck worrying. SJ, still a little tired from his "nap" leans into Laura who wraps an arm around the blond.

"We're ready Tony," Bruce says.

"Starting the process. Fingers crossed," Tony says as he activates the chamber. The chamber closes and stands up straight. Bruce nods to Tony who injects the serum. "Starting generator. Ten percent, twenty percent, thirty percent," a groan comes from inside the chamber, "forty percent, half way there, sixty percent, seventy percent, JARVIS more power from the reactor, eighty percent, ninety percent, ninety-five, that's a 100%." The chamber is glowing brightly. After a silent two minutes, Tony shuts down the reactor and lowers the chamber. He opens the chamber and joins Bruce at the side of the chamber. Bruce checks over vitals, muscle tissue, and organs using Tony's scanners set up in the room.

"She's fine, but she's not exactly, um," Bruce stammers. Steve growls lowly. Tony eases the woman up and he motions to her hair. "Yeah."

"That was an unexpected side effect," Sue mutters.

"It suits her just fine," Aaron counters. Sarah's hair is white, well, maybe platinum blond could be used, but her hair looked white. **(Hm, seems that was mentioned before. Shout out to anyone who remembers.)**

"Let's get her back to bed. She still needs some rest," Tony says. Steve walks over and picks up his little girl. She's a little bigger now, just slightly more muscle mass and maybe a quarter inch taller. Tony eases the girl's head onto Steve's shoulder and watches as Steve leaves the room headed for Sarah's bedroom. Aaron tries to follow but Bobbi forces him to eat first.

"King T'Challa, we shall go to SHIELD now," Maria says looking at the king.

"Yes, very well." Natasha turns to the king.

"Thank you for what you and your people have done for my family. We will not forget it," Natasha insists.

"I shall not forget either. A very special daughter you have. Miss Monroe," T'Challa says looking at Storm, "before you leave New York, would you mind stopping by the embassy? I would like to talk to you again."

"I will," Storm answers. T'Challa and his medicine woman walk out. Logan looks at Storm. "Logan."

"Storm's got a crush on a king," Logan chuckles.

"Dad, lay off," Laura warns. "Come on SJ, you look like you could use some sleep too little guy."

"I'm not little," SJ complains. Laura rolls her eyes and leads the youngest Rogers to his bedroom so he could sleep.

"X-Men, you can stay a few days if you wish. I have spare rooms," Tony offers.

"That sounds good, Tony," Logan speaks up.

* * *

Up in the kitchen, Aaron sits in front of Bobbi eating a sandwich. She hands him a glass of milk and he drinks it quickly.

"If you don't slow down, I'm going to keep you here for two hours," Bobbi threatens.

"I want to be with Sarah," Aaron counters.

"You really love her, don't you?" Bobbi asks him softly. Aaron nods and devours a second sandwich. "Is she the one?" Aaron looks up at her thinking for a second before he nods. "You're both too young."

"Sarah's twenty; I'll be 18 in about two months Aunt Bobbi."

"Aaron."

"I look at her and nothing but her fills my head. I dream about having kids with her, Bobbi. Maybe a little boy with her blond hair and a little girl with mine. I dream of settling down with her one day and turning my back on the whole espionage super hero business. I love her, please don't try to keep me from her," Aaron begs. Bobbi takes in her nephew and examines his stance, his eyes, and his behavior. She can hardly accept it, but the kid is in love. He's got all the symptoms to prove it. Loki walks into the room and tosses something at Aaron. Aaron catches it and looks down at the two necklaces in his hand. He looks up at Loki with a raised eyebrow.

"They are Asgardian love necklaces. They are a symbol of the pair that love each other but are not or cannot be married. They let you know if the other is in dire trouble if you are both wearing them," Loki states simply. "Think of them as promise rings."

"Thank you, Loki," Aaron says putting the one blue stone on. "Can I go now Bobbi?" The blond nods and Aaron walks out of the room after grabbing a soda and a sandwich for Sarah. He walks down the hallway to the stairs and goes to her room. Steve holds the door open for him and tells the boy if she needs anything to call for him. Aaron walks into the room and spies Sarah lying on her bed sleeping still. Aaron sets the meager meal on the dresser next to the bed and sits in Sarah's computer chair without a word. He watches her a moment before turning on the projector.

"JARVIS, you have the videos from WWII don't you?" Aaron asks.

"Miss Rogers uploaded all of them into her personal database."

"Can you play them for me?" Aaron inquires.

"Yes sir." The wall lights up from the projector and Aaron stares at the picture that appears.

_"There she is," the voice of Howard Stark laughs in the background. The screen shows a blond and a brunette in uniform in a lounge setting. "And she's not alone either. Hello girls." _

_"Howard," Peggy says simply as the inventor sets the camera up on a desk._

_"What's with the camera Howard?" Sarah asks. _

_"You'll see," Howard laughs. Aaron spots the group in the doorway. Steve walks up behind Sarah and places his hands over her eyes. _

_"Guess who," Steve prompts. _

_"Steve," Sarah answers. _

_"I told you she'd know. Pay up Dugan," Bucky orders. _

_"Happy birthday!" Falsworth shouts drunkenly. Steve smiles at Sarah who deadpans. "Thought we forgot?" _

_"I didn't know that you all knew," Sarah answers. _

_"We did and we wanted to celebrate!" Morita laughs. _

_"Thanks guys," Sarah giggles. _

_"Ce cadeau est pour vous. J'espére que vous aimez. Je me suis assure ramasser de la France pendant le dernier voyage lá-bas. Joyeux anniversaire, Natalie," Dernier__ says. **(This gift is for you. I hope you like it. I made sure to pick it up from France during the last trip there. Happy birthday, Natalie.)** _

_"Thank you, Jacques," Sarah laughs. She unwraps the box and sees it's a French wine, a very fine French wine. "Thank you Jacques. This is perfect!" The Frenchman smiles and bows his head. Gabe Jones steps up with a vase of flowers. _

_"I hope you'll like these." _

_"They're wonderful Gabe. Thank you." Sarah places them on the end table next to her. Jim Morita hands her a box of chocolates. Falsworth presents her with fine clothes from England. Dugan gives her a new watch._

_"I figured this one could replace the one Stark blew up last month," Dugan says with a laugh. _

_"That was an accident," Howard shoots at Dugan. Bucky hands Sarah a package and the girl opens it up. She smiles as she sees it's a book. _

_"Open it," Bucky prompts her. Sarah opens the book and tears come to her eyes. "I thought you would like some pictures. And there's room to add in some too." _

_"Oh Bucky, thank you! And there are even pictures of you all before the war. How long did it take you to put this together?" Sarah asks. _

_"A week of finding the perfect places, but it took us all a month to find pictures," Falsworth chuckles. Steve comes around and kneels in front of the blond. He hands her a small box. Sarah opens it to reveal a necklace with a heart locket. _

_"It was my mother's. I wanted you to have it," Steve says. _

_"Thank you Steve. It's beautiful," she whispers running her finger over the engraving. Peggy hands her another package and Sarah opens it to reveal a book. "Thank you Peggy. I've been trying to find this book for a while now." Howard hands her another small package and she opens it to reveal a diamond necklace. _

_"You won't always be in war. The first night after the war, I shall take you out dancing and I wish for you to wear that," Howard says. _

_"Thank you Howard. But Steve still beats you on the necklaces," Sarah giggles. Howard silently hands Bucky a few dollars and the Sergeant smiles broadly. _

_"Dinner is ready," Edwin Jarvis says walking in. _

"I remember that night quite fondly," Sarah says softly causing Aaron to look over at her. "Howard accidently lit his own coat on fire."

"How long have you been awake?" Aaron asks softly turning toward her.

"Just a few moments."

"You think you could stomach something?" Aaron inquires.

"Sure." Sarah sits up and Aaron helps her lean against the headboard. He hands her the sandwich and she eats it slowly while still watching the video. Aaron hands her the drink when she's done. "I take it everything went well?"

"You're all cured with some minor side effects," Aaron answers.

"Side effects?"

"Some of your muscles are larger. And um," Aaron hands her a hand mirror, "that." Sarah looks at her reflection and stares.

"Wow. I look stupid."

"You look beautiful, dear," Aaron insists.

"I have white hair Aaron! I look ridiculous!" Sarah snaps.

"I like you just the way you are," Aaron says putting a hand to her hair. He strokes it softly and she looks him in the eyes.

"Really?"

"You look amazing baby." Sarah yawns again and she spots the clock.

"It's late," she murmurs softly as her eyes start to drift close.

"You should sleep some more."

"Join me. I don't want you to leave." Aaron nods and settles in on the bed with her. He wraps his body around hers, his body fitting over hers. He kisses her head softly. "I love you Aaron."

"Love you too baby." Aaron slips the necklace Loki had given him on her and she smiles at it before settling in deeper into his arms. Aaron kisses her head again before the pair drift off to sleep lazily, JARVIS turning off the screen after ten minutes.

* * *

"Laura, I don't want to go to bed," SJ complains as Laura hauls him through the house. The blond yawns loudly again and Laura rolls her eyes at the boy. They take the elevator up and SJ leans on Laura sleepily. She looks down to see the younger teen barely awake. She sighs and crouches down to catch the blond on her shoulders. She hefts him up onto her back and the teen wraps his arms around her neck. "You're a good person Laura."

"Sure I am SJ." She steps off the elevator slowly when they reach his floor. She carries him to his room and manages to open the door with only a slight amount of difficulty. When the door opens, she is pleasantly surprised to find that the bedroom is actually very neat. She notices the military style folds for the bed sheets. Figures he'd take after Steve. She balances the 13 year old on her back while pulling the blankets back. Laura shifts the smaller teen off her back and onto the bed slowly. Laura smirks as SJ curls up in a small ball like a little kid. Laura lifts the sheets up and covers the teen up. She pulls the comforter from the foot of the bed and tosses it over the kid without a second glance.

"Sleep good little guy." Laura moves to leave the room but a picture catches her eye. She walks over and picks the picture up. It must have been taken during the summer since SJ was pretty thin in the picture. The blond is laughing as his sister hugs him, the pair sitting down on a picnic blanket. Sarah's face is bright and happy as she holds her little brother in her arms. Natasha sits on Steve's lap and the two parents watch their children fondly. Clint is wrestling with Thor in the background. Bruce is reading a book and basking in the sun happily. Tony's mouth is open in mid sentence while trying to get Bruce to talk to him. Laura smiles at the picture and wishes the family was still this happy. She walks out of the room and Vision stops her.

"Miss Logan, your father is asking for you," Vision informs her.

"Why didn't JARVIS tell me?" she inquires.

"We thought it best not to wake SJ," Vision answers. "Your father is in the gym. Do you know the way?"

"Yeah, I know the way. Thanks Vision." Laura walks off and the android smiles softly. The trip to the gym is silent. She walks in to find Logan bench-pressing. "You're not supposed to do that without a spotter," she calls over. He glances at her as he sets the weight back in the holders.

"Had to do something while I waited for you. Come here." Laura walks over and sits down next to her dad on the bench. "I wanted to talk to you about something," Logan says looking over at his little girl. "I know I'm not exactly the best dad on the planet, but I'm trying Laura. If you ever have some issue, anything, I want you to tell me."

"You know I will Dad."

"Not always baby girl," Logan says softly. Laura looks at him again and then places a hand on his shoulder.

"What brought this on Dad?"

"This whole situation. I mean, I could see that being me and you there. How Steve stayed sane, I don't know. I would have lost it. I just don't want to lose you ever," he tells her. Laura smirks before hugging her dad.

"I love you Dad. And if I ever do need you I'll come to you." Logan hugs her back and smiles.

"Why did she hide it from Steve for so long?" he asks Laura.

"She didn't want him on majorly overprotective mode," Laura answers.

* * *

Upstairs in the living room, five adults sit silently staring at the coffee table in front of them. Steve sits in one of the chairs with Natasha on his lap. The red head is brushing her husband's hair back and whispering calming words to the worried father. Across the table, Clint is lying on the couch with Bobbi lying on top of him. Clint runs his fingers through her hair while she traces circles on her stomach. Tony sits in his regular seat quiet as usual.

"I'm going to bed," Natalia calls to Steve and Natasha as she walks through the room.

"Sleep good dear," Natasha responds. No one spots Buck in the hall wrapping an arm around Natalia and helping her off to her room.

"Clint," Steve says softly causing the Archer to look at Steve, "we need to talk to the kids tomorrow."

"'Bout what?" Clint asks sitting up now.

"Clint, if we don't slow those two down, Aaron's going to pop the question on his birthday," Bobbi tells him.

"They're kids, what do they know about love?" Clint scoffs. Tony taps something on his little screen in his hand and the TV comes to life. Tony shoots a video over to it and the two blond men look at the video. On the screen, Aaron is kissing Sarah in the middle of the hallway at school. Another one comes up when a football player grabs Sarah's ass. Before Flash can tackle the guy, Aaron has the guy crammed in a locker and is protecting his girl loyally. Another screen has them walking through an art museum arm in arm.

"Yeah, they're head over heels in love with each other," Tony says. "Not to mention when Sarah told Aaron about how her and Bucky used to keep each other company way back when, he challenged Bucky to the boxing ring and gave Bucky one nasty headache."

"He did that?" Steve laughs.

"Apparently he didn't like anyone touching his girl," Tony replies.

"When Aaron's birthday comes around, they'll both be adults. Let them decide," Clint settles.

"Adult my ass," Steve snarls. Everyone looks at him surprised. "On paper, Sarah is still a minor, or did you all forget that?"

"Steve, she's not sixteen anymore," Natasha whispers softly. Natasha gets off his lap and Steve gets up to leave.

"She's my daughter; I'll decide what's best for her." Steve storms off in the direction of Sarah's bedroom.

"Thor!" Tony shouts. The god appears. "Help me get Steve." Thor nods and follows Tony to Steve. Between the two, they manage to muscle the blond away from his daughter's room and into the Hulk Chamber to cool off for an hour or so. Natasha goes in with him to talk it out.

"Steve, she's not 16 anymore."

"She's my baby!" Steve shouts at her.

"Steve, she spent four years away from here. You knew her then. You didn't treat her like a kid," Natasha protests.

"I didn't know!" Steve protests.

"Steve, she's not a kid anymore!" Natasha shouts at him. Steve turns to her. Natasha never raised her voice with him. "She's not a kid anymore." Steve has tears in his eyes as he lets his legs fail. "Steve?"

"I'm not ready for her to be grown up. We didn't get to raise her at all. She's our baby," Steve weeps. That's when everything clicks together for Natasha. Steve didn't want her to be grown up yet. Natasha sighs and kneels next to her husband. She wraps her arms around him and holds him close.

* * *

"Clint?" Bobbi calls softly as she walks into the "observatory" better known as the level Tony deemed as Clint's playground. Clint is watching the city around the Tower silently. The lights of the night are bright around him. He silently remembers all the damage the city had seen over the years. Bobbi walks closer. "Clint, baby, you're scaring me."

"How am I scaring you Bobbi?" Clint asks using the glass to look at her.

"You're silently looking out a pane of glass at the city with an easy way to end your pain if you open a window. Yeah, I'm concerned," Bobbi states dumbly.

"I'm not leaving you anytime soon Bobbi. You know that."

"What's bugging you Clint?"

"Just thinking about family. I miss Barney a little bit. Stupid ass had to get himself killed. I mean, he left Aaron without a father! Now that I know Aaron is out there, I just can't let him waste his life with SHIELD! He hasn't even got a chance to live yet and he's probably going to marry Sarah. And they're both neck deep in superheroes and top secret government agencies, so you know they have no hope for a normal life. Things are just majorly fucked up," Clint complains. Bobbi walks over and wraps her arms around him. "I love you Bobbi."

"I love you too Clint. You know, I think Aaron looks to you like you're his father. He listens to you," Bobbi comments.

"You do realize that not all that long ago I was him. Striving for revenge and to do something that let me use my skill set. Look at me now; I'm a psychiatrist's dream patient. But I did get an amazing wife and family out of it all," Clint laughs.

"That's the advantage of living with the Avengers, no one is normal," Bobbi chuckles softly in his ear. "Come on, you need some sleep." Clint nods and follows Bobbi down to his room.

* * *

James Barnes walks into the living room of the Tower silently. He carries his things to the kitchen where he finds Tony and Bruce eating fruit.

"You're a little late buddy," Tony mutters. "Don't worry she didn't die."

"Buck texted me that. I'm sorry, but it's a little hard to get a hold of me when I'm in deep cover. Which I have to disappear back into the night after tomorrow. I managed to get me that much time," Bucky says setting his things down. "Mind if I get something from the fridge?"

"Go ahead. I had a room prepared for you," Tony says. "You pulled quite the disappearing acting at Steve's wedding."

"Yeah, well, it was urgent. My target thinks I'm shacked up with a girl in Hawaii," Bucky mutters as he grabs the jelly from the fridge and makes a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. "He believed my excuse that she's my girlfriend. I wanted to laugh."

"I would have," Tony counters.

"What all were you told?" Bruce asks Bucky.

"That the kid got badly sick and it wasn't looking too good," Bucky answers. "Care to explain what happened for me?"

"Her serum was degrading in a different way from Steve's," Tony answers.

"Wait, is it connected to all those blood transfusions Steve had to give her back in the war?" Bucky asks. Bruce and Tony deadpan. "What?"

"So you, Steve, Peggy, Nick, and Dugan all knew and didn't tell us?!" Tony demands.

"Thought you knew," Bucky counters. "First one of those happened I thought Steve was going to die from worrying too much. He held her the whole flight back to England. That's when I figured out they were family, and that her name wasn't Natalie Rushman."

"She used that cover?" Tony laughs.

"Yeah, I know, very amusing. Anyway, will you tell me what happened?" Bucky pries.

"She collapsed at school. Tony, myself, and a few other scientists have been working to cure her since we met Dr. Madden. We brought her back here and her condition was worsening. We got some hope from Wakanda and the X-Men. We used the Time Gem to freeze Sarah's medical room until we could get everything done. We cured her a few hours ago. She's sleeping in her room right now with Aaron. The boy hasn't left her side since she collapsed. She's developed a little more muscle mass and perhaps a fraction of an inch taller in height. Her hair is also now white," Bruce tells Bucky.

"White?" Bucky questions.

"Yep. We don't know why either," Tony huffs. "Only thing I can think of is either the vita-rays did it or the herb from Wakanda. Whatever, she's cured. We haven't heard her scream so either she doesn't know or Aaron kept her from freaking out. That reminds me, Steve is probably going to talk about that boxing incident you had with Aaron." Bucky cusses under his breath as he reaches for a glass. Lights blare around the house and Tony jumps up. "JARVIS?"

"It seems that there are intruders in the Tower, sir. I am attempting to lock down the Tower but they are over riding my systems."

"Alert everyone!" Tony shouts. Tony looks at Bruce. "You get Pepper to the safe room."

"You got it." Bucky pulls a few guns from his bag and growls in frustration.

"Why now?" he demands as he takes off to help defend the Tower.

"Attention all occupants of Avengers Tower, the Tower is under infiltration. Prepare for defense," JARVIS announces through the whole Tower. Adrenaline kicks into every person in the Tower and everyone prepares for a fight.

* * *

Aaron quickly jumps away from Sarah as they hear the message. He runs to his room and changes quickly into his battle gear. He arrives back in Sarah's room to see her getting ready as well. She sheathes two guns on her hips and two more in the shoulder harnesses. The blond takes the old helmet of hers off her table and quickly puts it on.

"What happened to the other suits?" Aaron asks.

"They're downstairs," Sarah answers. SJ comes up to her in regular clothing. "We need to get you to the safe room."

"I can fight!" SJ counters.

"And you will if they get to you and Pep," Sarah says sternly. Natalia runs up with Buck and Loki paces behind. The kids all had one level of the Tower now. "Loki, Buck, Natalia, get to the armory. I'm getting SJ to the safe room. Aaron go with them and keep them safe."

"You can't go alone!" Aaron protests.

"I'll be right there in a few okay?" Aaron nods hesitantly and Sarah takes off with SJ down the stairs. They go to the level deemed Hulk Ground Zero to see Pepper and Bruce already headed for the safety zone. Sarah hands SJ her gun and kisses his forehead. "Take care little brother. Go." He nods and goes into the room with Bruce and Pepper. Sarah locks the room down and waves at the trio. She quickly heads for the armory. When she enters the hallway, a figure startles her and then the elevator door opens. On reflex, Sarah shoots at the elevator door when she sees the gun in the person's hand.

"Shit!" Clint's voice yells and Sarah watches him clutch his stomach. The figure in the hall aims for Clint with a gun. Sarah shoots the man in the head a fraction of a second after the man pulls the trigger of his gun and runs to Clint's side.

"I'm sorry!" Sarah cries out as she catches Clint.

"Not your fault. I should have taken the stairs," Clint mutters. "I know better than to use the elevators during crisis situations." Sarah looks at the blood coating Clint's stomach and her eyes water. She drags him out of the elevator and props him up against a wall. She inspects the wound; she had missed anything vital luckily. She rips her shirt apart and stuffs it under his vest to clot the wound. She spots the second gunshot wound to the shoulder. She rips off more of her shirt and stuffs it under his vest.

"We need to get you to the medical lock down," she stammers.

"Sarah, I'd make you an easy target," Clint protests. "Just get me to the lock down chamber." Sarah nods softly and helps Clint up. She takes him down the hall to the room and JARVIS opens the door to the cell for her. She hands Clint over to Bruce.

"What happened, Clint?" Bruce asks.

"It's a warzone out there Bruce. Sarah, go help them," Clint orders. They lock eyes and she nods softly. She holsters her gun and picks up a metal rod from the construction zone outside of the cage on her way out. She balances it in her hand and walks to the staircase. The visor informs her of a group of enemies cornering Rogue and an unconscious Storm. She opens the door to that level and walks calmly down the hallway. She taps the metal rod on the ground as she walks. The rod is an even six feet long. She stares down her enemies as they turn to look at her.

"What do you want kid?" the leader scoffs. Sarah's lips turn upward in an evil sneer and she rams the rod into the man's chest breaking his ribs in multiple points. She flips the rod around and smashes it into another man's leg followed with a foot to his head. Five minutes later, the last three are unconscious on the ground. Rogue looks up at her as she holds Storm close.

"Go to the medical level. The last room on the left from that staircase," she points to the one down the hall, "is a medical lockdown room. JARVIS will let you in. Take Storm there and be safe Rogue." Rogue nods and Sarah heads off down the hallway to the other stairs. She walks to the next level down, the training level, and sees Bucky there. She doesn't question it she just acts. She breaks bones and quickly helps Bucky free himself from the attackers.

"What's wrong?" Bucky asks her.

She ignores the question and asks one of her own, "Why are you here? You're supposed to be on a mission."

"I got a small pass to check in on you. I mean, you were dying!" Sarah holds up a shield to block a bullet and Bucky shoots the intruder. "Sarah, you're scaring me right now." Sarah walks off headed for more people to take her anger out on. "Sarah!"

"We have a Tower to protect Bucky," Sarah says sternly. Bucky follows the blond and notes that not once did she pull out her gun when she should have.

"Well, that's the last of them," Tony mutters as they throw the last of the intruders in a holding cell. He looks over at Sarah who is leaning on a metal pole with blood on the edges. "Where'd you get the pole?"

"Hulk level," she answers in a monotone voice. "Natasha, Bobbi, you're going to want to go get Clint. He's been shot twice. I'll be in my room." She places the pole on the ground and leaves the room. She walks to her room silently and locks all but one of her guns away in the safe. She looks at the one she had shot Clint with. She pops out the magazine and looks at it. The door opens and Loki sits down next to her. He puts the gun on the table and puts his hand on her knee.

"What happened?" Loki asks.

"No." Her voice is stern and lethal. She hands him the magazine and the gun. She then hands him her other guns. She looks him in the eyes. "Take them away from me until I'm ready."

"And when's that going to be?" Loki inquires.

"A long fucking time," Sarah answers bluntly. Loki leaves the room and Sarah stares at the floor. "I could have killed him," she weeps.

* * *

**This chapter is way to freaking Mary-Sue it's annoying. **


	30. As Life Leaves Her Eyes

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE AVENGERS OR MARVEL!**

**Steve: Wow, two in a weekend. **

**Sarah: Well, she had a bit of free time.**

**Steve: Isn't she role playing?**

**Sarah: She is, just not a lot going on in it. **

* * *

Between the attack and Sarah's little recovery, Bruce insisted everyone stay home a week. The kids are all still a little unstable from the attack. Sarah locks herself in her room the whole week only coming out to eat and never with the family. She avoids Clint, Aaron, and Bobbi at all costs. At one point, she knew she was cornered by all three and jumped into the vents to get away. No one had been able to pin her down long enough to talk to her. The now white haired female is in the gym at five o'clock on a Monday morning. She'd been in the gym for the past three hours. She slams her fist into the bag followed by a flying kick. The bag explodes in a shower of its insides. Sarah growls in frustration and walks over to the wall. She slams her fist into it multiple times in anger. The former blond storms out when JARVIS informs her Steve is coming to the gym for his daily work out. She takes the elevator since Steve takes the stairs. She walks through the halls to her room and showers quickly. She grabs a pair of scissors from the drawer and cuts her hair short with a few quick cuts. Using magic, she makes it blond again. She dresses for school and picks up her book bag silently.

"Miss Rogers, you still have two hours before school," JARVIS informs Sarah as she eats breakfast and prepares to leave for school.

"Not giving a damn JARVIS. When someone inquires to where I am, inform them I left for school," Sarah says off-handedly. She walks to the elevator and takes it down to the ground floor level. She has two hours to make it to the school. The blond starts jogging down the street at a leisurely pace enjoying the freedom.

Loki, Aaron, and Natalia glance at the fourth seat in their usual line up for breakfast before school. None of them comment about the missing member of their crew. The rest of the family, except Steve since he's in the gym, is eating breakfast at the table. The footfalls of Steve echo through the hall and he walks in with a towel around his neck. He stares at the empty spot.

"Where is she?" Steve asks.

"She wasn't in her room," Aaron answers.

"JARVIS?" Steve questions with a sigh.

"She left for school at six o'clock this morning. It seems she is walking to school," JARVIS replies.

"She's been gone an hour," Loki determines.

"I'm going to go find her," Tony says standing up from the table. "I can tail her and make sure she gets to school."

"No, you're going to inform her she's grounded," Natasha states harshly.

"Now who is treating an adult like a child?" Steve chuckles softly as he sips his coffee. Natasha sends him an evil glare. "Shutting up now." Tony takes off in his suit and picks Sarah up mid way. He lands outside of school and Sarah scowls him as he sets her down.

"You mother says you're grounded," Tony informs her.

"Whatever. Tell her I'll be late coming home. I have to pick something up from the store and no you can't get it for me," she snaps at Tony.

"Sarah what the hell is wrong with you?!" Tony yells at her. Sarah glares at him and Tony is taken back by the expression. "Is this about Clint?" Sarah looks away from him. "It is isn't it? The video cameras were down. Clint told us that he was shot twice trying to protect you when you stepped out from around a blind corner." Sarah keeps her gaze elsewhere. "Sarah, what happened?" Tony demands.

"I shot him!" Sarah shouts at Tony. "I saw a gun, I shot! We do not use elevators in these situations and he did! I saw his gun and I shot him Tony! Is that what you fucking wanted to hear? That I shot a member of our team? Of our family? I could have killed him!" Sarah throws her bag at Tony and takes off. She deprograms the trackers in her gauntlets as she runs. She runs blindly through traffic to the park. She finds the most secluded place that wasn't where druggies or prostitutes hung out. She sits down under a tree and cries her eyes out.

Tony lands at the Tower just as the kids are about to leave for school.

"Where's Sarah?" Aaron asks him. Aaron stares at the bag in Tony's hands. "Her backpack."

"She took off," Tony says softly. "She disabled her gauntlets too. I don't know where she went." Tony looks at Clint who sighs. "You better not hide that from us again, Clint."

"Hide what?" Steve demands looking at Clint.

"The enemy only shot me once. I deviated from protocol and used an elevator. Sarah saw my gun before she saw me and shot. I'm sorry Steve, I figured it was for the best if no one else knew," Clint sighs. Steve picks Clint up and punches him. "I deserved that."

"Tony cameras," Steve orders. "Aaron, SJ, where'd she go?"

"Uh, stores, parks, beaches, library," SJ rattles off.

"Tony, Pepper, canvas the stores she'd go into using cameras. Thor, Loki, and Buck, take the waterfront. Everyone else, let's head to the park," Steve says. He looks at Clint. "You stay here. I do not want you finding her." Clint sits on the floor silently. He waits until everyone is gone to leave on his own. He heads to the park and sighs. He walks up to a vendor with a picture of Sarah in his hand.

"Have you seen this girl?" Clint asks.

"You a cop?" he asks.

"No, I'm her uncle. She got upset and ran off," Clint replies. The vendor points to a secluded area of the park. "How long ago?"

"Ten minutes maybe."

"Thank you for your help." Clint walks off that way and follows the tracks he finds. He walks for a long time until he comes to a small clearing and sees Sarah sitting beneath a tree there. He walks over to her and sits down silently next to her.

"How'd you know?" she whispers.

"You'd hide away from the Hawk. So, relatively dense area," Clint answers. "Sarah, you know I don't blame you right?"

"I could have killed you!" she snaps. "I can't look at you, or Bobbi and Aaron. You're family and I nearly killed you!" Clint sighs and wraps an arm around her silently. She curls into his side and Clint wraps the other arm around her. "I can't even look at a gun."

"I know. It'll take a long time for you to get over this. Sarah, trust me when I say this, I'm fine. Do you know how many times trusted agents that I know and cared about shot me by accident? Too many to count. It's my fault, I broke protocol," Clint says softly. "Closing yourself off is not going to help you get over it."

"I…I can't look at you guys right now. I'm sorry," she whispers.

"Listen, I'm going to let you go right now. I'll call the others off. And you come home by lunch, okay?" Clint asks softly. Sarah nods and Clint makes the call.

"No, I want her home now!" Steve shouts.

"Steve, she just needs a little cool down time."

"Noon?" Steve asks softly.

"Yeah."

"Fine." Steve hangs up and Clint nods to Sarah.

"Go."

"Can you call Maria Hill and ask her to meet me at the bookstore café by Tony?" Sarah asks him.

"Sure. Distress beacons if you need anything kiddo," Clint says getting up and making the call. Sarah runs off to the store and finds a table in the back. An hour and ten bucks later, Maria shows up. Maria sits down across from her and Sarah hands her a letter. Maria reads it over and raises an eyebrow.

"This is a surprise," Maria says softly.

"Yeah well, things have me thinking," Sarah mutters. "Can you do it for me without anyone find out?"

"Of course I can. The pictures will have to be taken at the time so you'd be at a safe house for a week or so."

"Please Maria."

"When do you think?"

"I don't know. It'll probably happen when I'm at the end of my rope," Sarah mutters softly. "Thank you Maria." Maria nods and slips the letter in her jacket.

"I'll have an emergency plan. You should head home now Sarah," Maria says softly. She nods and gets up to leave. The door bursts open and three men in ski masks appear. They points guns around the room.

"All your money now. Form a line!" the men order. Sarah and Maria exchange a look. Sarah notes that the guns are fakes. She walks up with a few dollars in her hands. As the man reaches for the money, Sarah strikes breaking the man's sternum in one hit and knocking him unconscious with another. Maria grabs the second man and places him in a chokehold until he blacks out. Sarah takes the metal sugar dispenser off the table and slams it into the last man's head. She takes their plastic guns and crushes them into junk. Maria and Sarah leave without a word to each other or the patrons of the establishment.

* * *

"Where have you been?" Steve demands when Sarah arrives home.

"I needed to clear my head. Thank you for bringing it back up." Sarah looks up at Aaron. She walks away to her room. She's still not ready to face them.

* * *

The next morning, Sarah makes it to school with the others. She's silent as she walks. She's cold when Aaron tries to shower her with love. Gwen, after four hours of this, knocks a little sense into Sarah.

"We love you! You can't shut us out!" Gwen snaps at her.

"Sorry Gwen."

"No you're not," Gwen counters. Sarah looks up at her. "We care about you. Let us help you." Sarah nods softly and kisses Aaron during the next period. He holds her close the rest of the day.

* * *

One week later, Sarah smiles softly at everyone as she walks through the auditorium to her regular seat. Four people have the same reaction. Sarah, Peter, Natalia, and Loki stiffen drastically. Sarah hears the ticking.

"EVERYBODY OUT!" Loki and Peter shout. "BOMB!" The students run out of the auditorium running over each other. Sarah sees Gwen fall and she races toward her. She doesn't reach Gwen when the explosion goes off, just a mere second later. Sarah shoves herself and Gwen between the rows of seats and starts praying. Sarah lies on the high side of the floor. One arm is around Gwen's chest and the other over her face to cover her from damage. The chairs around them start to snap and fold as rubble falls from the ceiling and walls. Sarah cries out in pain as chairs are crushed to the point that they're pinning her legs to the ground. The teen screams louder when her arm is sliced into by a chair that also pins it to the ground.

Several minutes pass before the rule settles. By the end of that time, Sarah has a few cuts on her face from rubble hitting her head. Once everything is settled, Sarah turns her free hand over and uses the repulsor to create a faint glow in the room. Gwen looks at her weakly; the blond's teeth are cutting into her lips as she bites back a scream. Tears stream down her face. Sarah looks down to where Gwen's hands are. Her small hands are wrapped around something metal, most likely a blown up chair leg. Blood runs down Gwen's stomach to the floor. Gwen captures her attention again as the tears start to run down Sarah's face.

"Sarah, I'm afraid," Gwen cries softly.

"I'll be right her Gwen," Sarah whispers bending her hand so her fingertips touch Gwen's cheek. "You'll drift off nice and peacefully, promise. Do you want me to sing to you? Would you like that?" Gwen nods weakly and Sarah smiles softly before she starts singing a lullaby. The older girl watches the life disappear from Gwen's eyes and she lets out a sob softly. She puts her ear to Gwen's chest and listens. She hears one soft thumb before there's nothing. She lets out a scream of anguish and cries into Gwen's hair. She extinguishes her light and lays there crying softly.

The rubble starts to shift above her and she tenses waiting for it to come down on her. She hears the chairs around her straining to hold up against the pressure. The chairs on her arm crush in first. They fold around her arm like a cuff pinning her hand to the ground. She cries as it digs in deeper into the skin letting more blood out. The metal trapping her legs crunches harshly and she screams bloody murder as the metal slices into her calves now. She shakes from the pain and clings tighter to Gwen hopping that the spirit of her friend would watch out for her.

* * *

"HOLD IT!" Tony yells. Hulk looks up at him as Tony hovers there above the wreckage. "The rubble is shifting too much from Hulk's weight. I'll do it." Hulk leaves the pile and Tony starts to toss the pieces to Hulk. Hulk piles the rubble as Steve and Loki stand by the hole Tony is digging to help rescue the girls. After a tense twenty minutes of digging, Tony gets to the last layer of chairs. He peels the one away from Sarah's head. She looks up at him.

"Sarah, hey kiddo," Tony says softly.

"My legs and arms are trapped Tony. Gwen's…she's dead Tony!" The young adult starts crying.

"I'll get you out in a minute sweetheart," Tony insists. Tony uses his laser setting to cut away the remaining seats trapping the girls. Loki uses a simple levitation spell to bring Sarah up out of the hole. Steve cradles his daughter in his arm. She cries out as the support under her legs disappears.

"Easy sweetie," Steve murmurs. She whimpers as she lays her bleeding arm on her stomach. She wraps her good arm around his neck and buries her face in his neck. Steve can feel the hot tears running down his neck.

"Gwen's too far gone to be saved," Loki says softly. "I'll carry her out." The god picks up the blond and walks with Cap out of the rubble. Aaron, who had been leading Gwen's mom over, sees Sarah and runs toward her.

"What?" Aaron asks to her crying. Then he sees Loki. "Gwen?"

"NO! NO! GWEN! GWEN!" Gwen's mother cries out.

* * *

After hours of every superhero in New York along with rescue teams digging, they've relocated rubble in piles and pulled the other bodies or survivors out. They find ten more students dead, five of the teachers are found dead trying to protect other students, and the class dog for the Special Ed kids is found dead. The injured outnumber the dead and are carted off to hospitals as quickly as possible. The school closes for the rest of the week and the week following Spring Break. Rand Corp, Stark Industries, SHIELD, and pretty much every superhero within the NYC area joins in on the clean up. The bomb, after Tony's scanning, was determined to be that of a HYDRA class weapon. So, someone was targeting the kids. Tony orders his work crews to use new technology to help rebuild the entire school. Tony works with Danny and the two heads meld their crews together to build the school within the two and a half week or so time limit.

* * *

Meanwhile, the school holds a vigil on the grounds on the third night after the explosion. MJ props Peter up. The super crew and Flash all stare at the picture of Gwen. Sarah and the others try to walk up but many students send them evil looks.

"You're the reason they're dead! You're not welcome here!" someone yells. Sarah ignores them and walks forward with flowers in her arm. The woman limps slightly and eases the flowers into her good hand. She lays them down in front of Gwen's picture and says a few soft words. Someone shoves her to the ground when she turns to walk away.

"You freaks got them killed! You've been nothing but trouble since you got here!" the person that shoved her yells.

"Leave her alone," Peter snarls.

"Why should I Parker? They got one of your best friends killed!" the teen shouts.

"Because she's my friend and her life is more complicated than the rest of you idiots know!" Peter shouts back. "Go away."

"Fuck off," another teen growls at Peter. Someone tries to kick Sarah. Peter lunges forward and grabs the person by their shirt. He tosses the person across the crowd and into a dumpster. Luke and Danny take defensive stances. Flash glares at the football players. MJ hurries to help Sarah up. Sam's eyes scan the crowd for trouble.

"Guys, stop," Sarah orders. "This isn't right. If it'll make you all happy, I won't come back to the school. I'm the one that brought it down on all of you, not the rest of my family. For that, I'm sorry. Pete, thank you." Sarah limps off to the car and settles into the far back seat. Aaron sprints off after her and lies in the back with her. Loki drives for them and Natalia settles in next to Loki silently. True to her word, Sarah doesn't set foot on the property for the vigil for the teachers the next day.

* * *

"Sarah, you can't stop going to school," Steve tells her sternly when she tells her father her decision.

"Dad, give me two days to read all the books for every course at the school. Phil can give me the tests I need to test out of school. Dad, please," Sarah begs.

"Steve," Natasha says softly causing her husband to look at her, "she's can't keep going to school. The kids hate her."

"We'll find her a new school."

"Steve, let her test out. In a few short months we'll need the extra hand around here," Natasha points out. Steve thinks about it and nods softly.

"Fine. I'll talk to Phil about it tonight, he's coming over for dinner," Steve concedes. Sarah hugs him softly and walks off to her bedroom. That night at dinner, Phil does agree to it. Clint and Aaron talk to Phil about doing the same for him. Natalia and Loki are content with staying at school. The two days after that conversation, Sarah spends the entire time reading books. She and Aaron pass with flying colors.

* * *

"Master Aaron, Miss Sarah, Director Fury would like to speak with you in the living room," JARVIS reports. The pair walks down to the living room where Fury is waiting with two folders. He hands them each a folder and they both look at the folders.

"You're going to send us to remote northern mountains during the early spring thaw and refreeze?" Sarah confirms looking at Fury.

"I am."

"I'm in. Got nothing better to do," Sarah mutters.

"I go where she goes," Aaron states simply.

"Suit up, your transport leaves the second you're ready." The dynamic duo nod and head off for their rooms. They meet in the armory less than ten minutes later and grab their other gear from the vault. They take the eco-suits as Tony and Bruce call them. The suits fed off the owner's body heat to keep their owner at a stable temperature. Sarah grabs knives, one of Bobbi's battles staves kits. She attaches the two batons and nods in approval at the staff before collapsing them and putting them on a cross harness on her back. She quietly gathers other weapons, never touching a gun. Aaron notices this but doesn't comment on the fact. The pair travels to the car waiting out front to take them to their transport.

"You ready Aaron?" she asks him.

"You know it babe," Aaron chuckles.

* * *

**So, how many people want to kill me over Gwen? Everybody? That's what I thought. I'm sorry, I needed a death to put Sarah on a fine line edge of insanity. Since Gwen was killed in the comics, I just went with at. The chapters will likely be shorter for a while. I have three days of standardized testing this week so not a lot of time to write after my brain is depleted. Plus, I am playing on a forum too. **


	31. Imprisonment, Torment, Freedom

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE AVENGERS OR MARVEL!**

**Loki: What is wrong with the writer? **

**Tony: Daddy issues...**

**Loki: I think most of us can relate to that.**

** Clint: Agreed. **

**Natasha: Likewise. **

**Steve: You think she'll be all right? **

**Natasha: Her writing again is helping. Maybe if she had more plot bunnies for this story and future ones she'd be happier. **

**Tony: Clint, go find some chocolate ice cream, I'm going to go make some hot chocolate for her. **

**Clint: Sounds like a plan. **

**Steve: Let her continue writing.**

* * *

Steve walks into Director Fury's office three days after his daughter took her mission with her boyfriend. The Director is already waiting with Clint sitting across from him. Steve notices the lack of their killer wives. He takes the seat next to Clint and looks Fury over. The man hands them both a folder. The two men look at each other before taking the folders from the one eyed man. They read the files slowly, shock hitting both of them as they read the reports.

"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Steve snarls in anger.

"Because I hadn't confirmed the report," Fury answers. He turns on the screen behind him. A video feed pops up on the screen of a wrecked quinjet surrounded by a team of SHIELD agents searching the wreckage. "We found the bodies of the pilot and copilot. Last transmission we received was concerning incoming enemy fire. We haven't found any trace of Star or Bowman. All their weaponry is gone as well. I suspect that they survived the crash. The radio is down in the plane so perhaps they went to look for a land line in the town nearby." He turns the feed off and looks at the two men.

"What about Sarah's gauntlets, you can track those can't you?" Steve questions.

"Under normal circumstances, yes. But I haven't been able to locate the signal on any of their gear. They found this," Fury holds out a necklace, "among the wreckage." Steve takes it and stares at it. "That's the one Loki gave her, correct?"

"Yes, if she had been wearing it, we could find her easily," Steve replies. "What can you tell us about the original mission?"

"Rescue op," Fury answers. "I haven't heard from Barnes since his plane left. He was supposed to check in. I sent the kids to retrieve him." Fury's phone goes off and he picks it up. "Hello?"

"_Sir, we found Agent Barnes. He's been badly injured but he's alive. We're sending him on a transport back to the carrier,_" the agent on the other end informs him.

"Let me talk to him." The phone changes hands. "Barnes?"

"_He's got the kids, sir,_" Bucky groans on the other end of the line. "_From what Sarah was able to tell me, they escaped the wreckage and came to find me. We got out of the compound but his men found us. Bowman got hit, so did Star. She gave me her pack and shoved me down a hill toward safety. I heard the transports getting them when I finally stopped tumbling. I would have gone after them but with my injuries._"

"It's okay soldier, you did your best. Just get back here." Fury hangs up and looks at Clint and Steve. "They were captured. Barnes got away thanks to actions of the kids." Clint slumps in the chair and Steve puts a hand on his shoulder.

"How do you put up with the heartache, Steve?" Clint asks softly.

"I get the SOBs that take my kid," Steve answers. Steve looks to Fury who nods. "Send the file to the Tower; we'll let you know when we're in the air." Fury nods again and the two men walk out of the room. Steve looks over at Clint as the super soldier drives them back to the Tower. "You going to be okay Clint?"

"Yeah," Clint says softly. "I…I just turned in the papers this morning to adopt Aaron legally. So he's like my son and my nephew in one." Clint rubs his face. "I…I kill the person responsible for this."

"You'll have to beat me to it," Steve counters. Clint's laugh is hollow and dead but Steve knows they'd both get even with whoever did this to the kids.

* * *

Sarah opens her eyes slowly. Her head is still pounding, her arm is bandaged tightly, and this feeling of emptiness overcomes her. She looks around to see white walls, clean white walls. The floor is white tile and smells of disinfectant. She knows this because she's laying on it. The white haired teen slowly pushes herself off the floor. Her injured arm shakes fiercely as she pushes herself up so she's on her knees. She spots a bow and quiver next to her. There are more weapons there and a picture. She takes the picture in her hand and looks at the face. A feeling of protectiveness overcomes her. She moves so she's sitting against the wall and tries to think of how she got here. Hell, she can't remember who she is at this point.

"Come on, what's the last thing you remember?" she growls at herself. She looks around for something familiar. Her eyes land on the picture again. The man in the picture has a bow and quiver. He looks roughed up. There's snow in the background where he's lying. Her head pounds as she thinks.

_"We were sent to rescue you Bucky," she says as she runs through the snow. "Our plane got shot down so we rescued you hoping that you'd help us find communication for help." Gunfire goes off behind her and she looks behind her at the two men she's with. There's a steep hill just up ahead and she knows the plane isn't far from that. The Bowman yelps and Sarah turns to go back and help him only to be hit by a bullet in the arm where her uniform was weak. Bowman falls flat on the snow and holds his leg. Sarah looks back at Bucky and moves toward him. She grabs him by the collar, not caring he was injured, and threw him down the hill to the safety of the woods. She hurries over to Bowman and falls to the ground next to him. She grabs his hand. _

_"Come on sweetheart, stay with me," she whispers softly. _

_"Run Sarah." _

_"I'm not leaving you Aaron; girlfriends don't leave their injured boyfriends behind." They look up as the dogs surround them along with an army of men. A man with a red skull walks up. "Schmidt." _

_"Well, well, I wasn't expecting to see you here," he laughs. "Aren't you that little girl that trailed around Captain America in the war?" _

_"Yeah." _

_"Your beautiful blond hair is gone though. This shall be quite fun." He motions to somebody and two darts hit her and another hit Aaron. "Sleep well, Agent Rushman." _

Sarah clutches her head as she comes out of the memory. She looks at the picture. "Aaron. Where are you?"

_"I have him, my dear,"_ a voice laughs and Sarah spots a speaker. _"You have been given a drug to make you lose your memory. Try as hard as you can, but you won't be getting it all back for quite a while. I've made a maze in this building; somewhere I have your precious Bowman hostage with me. And for every hour that ticks by, I'll inflict a new wound onto him. That is, unless you want the wound instead." _

"Don't you hurt him!" she screams. "I'll take the punishment, don't hurt him!"

_"That's what I thought you'd say. I already inflicted three while you two were still in the same room. It seemed he didn't like it when I was making sure you were going to be out for a few more hours. He loves you very much. So, you have one hour before I'll contact you again." _There was an audible click as the speaker was shut off. She picks up the bow and quiver. They get placed on her back for safe keeping. She tucks the picture in her jacket. She looks at the multitude of knives there. She puts them all in spots while holding another in her hand. She looks at the wall behind her and starts to move forward. She drags the blade against the wall leaving scratches as she goes.

* * *

"I'm going to kill you!" Aaron yells at the Red Skull from across the room. The Skull turns around makes his way over to Aaron. "I swear to God I'm going to kill you!" Aaron is strapped to a stainless steel table by strong metal cuffs at his wrists and ankles and strains against them.

"I find you intriguing boy." Skull plays with a few of the tools by the table. Aaron had a patched bullet wound to the leg, a cut on that same leg, a stab wound (though it wasn't deep) to a nonlethal part of his stomach, and a slice in his cheek. He looks up at Aaron after setting the tools down. "How can you be in love with someone from the past?"

"Do you really think she's from the past?" Aaron counters.

"No, she never did act like a normal girl back then. I captured her once in the war. You should have heard her scream when I burned her skin with hot iron." Aaron lurches toward him. "Captain America saved her just when she was going to break under pressure. You should have seen the broken little girl he found there." Aaron screams and fights his restraints.

"I'm going to murder you! I'm going to tear you limb from limb and feed you to dogs!" Aaron screams. Skull just laughs manically. Skull walks back to the monitors to watch.

"Do not think about screaming. She is on the other side of the compound, she will not hear you, even with her enhanced hearing," Skull says. Aaron slumps, his head on his chest, he dreaded to hear his girl's screams through the microphones.

* * *

_"Your first hour is up," _the man's voice says through the speakers. Sarah flinches and straightens up. _"Go down this hallway to the first door and step inside."_ Sarah walks down to the room and sees a table there with restraints. _"Lie down on the table, face up."_ Sarah does and the restraints lock down and secure her to the table. A machine came out of the wall and Sarah looks it over finding a knife there. She tenses looking at it. She hears Aaron calling for her through the speakers. Her head explodes with a memory.

_Sarah holds tightly to her seat as the plane spins and crashes in the snow of the mountain. She opens her eyes and looks around. Aaron is across the jet sprawled out on the floor. The remainder of his safety belt hangs from his hand. She unbuckles and hurries to her boyfriend. "Aaron?" she coaxes. Those beautiful eyes flutter open and look at her. "Come on, time to get up. Get your gear." _

_He nods and gets up. She walks to the cockpit to see the pilot and copilot dead. She grabs her gear and shakes her head at Aaron. They break down the side hatch of the jet and make their way up the hill toward their target area. _

_"We get Bucky out then we go get help," Aaron says as they look at the compound. _

_"Fine with me," she answers. Aaron flips her onto her back and kisses her passionately. He puts a hand to her head. "Aaron." _

_"I love you. Let's get the job done." She nods softly and they make their way toward the compound. _

Sarah's eyes clear up just as the knife is taken out of her leg. She yelps at the pain but the restraints drop away once the knife is gone.

_"Your second hour starts now,"_ Skull announces. Sarah makes her way from the room and through the halls after making a makeshift bandage.

* * *

Steve looks at the family members. Several of them looked ready to murder. Natasha and Bobbi look at each other while putting a hand to their stomachs. They knew they couldn't go on the mission.

"Who had Barnes?" Tony asks Steve as they sit in the war room thinking.

"The Red Skull," Bucky's voice says from the doorway. The man is supported by Agent Coulson as he walks in. Bucky tosses Steve Sarah's backpack. The father looks at it and grips the straps tightly in his hands. "He says hi, by the way."

The people around the table look at each other again. Buck stands up and heads for the door.

"Where are you going?" Steve calls after him.

"Suiting up." Loki snaps and is instantly ready for battle. Thor grips the handle of his hammer and nods to the Captain. Tony clicks a button on his wristband and one of his suits walks into the room. Clint nods at Steve.

"Suit up, we got kids to recover," Steve says standing up. The family scatters and the active team members head for the jet. Steve looks at Natasha as she holds Sarah's teddy bear in one hand. "I'll get her back Natasha."

"I don't doubt that, I just hope she's not going to be badly hurt." Steve kisses his wife softly. He puts a hand on her womb and kneels down so he's in front of her. He rubs her growing stomach softly.

"I'll be back soon, my young child," Steve whispers to the growing baby. Natasha smiles softly especially when Steve kisses her stomach. He stands and kisses his wife again. "I'll be home soon with them both."

* * *

Ten minutes later, the quinjet is underway to their destination. Steve stares at a picture he had grabbed before he climbed on the plane. Tony sits down next to Cap and looks at the picture.

"Where was that taken?" Tony asks the man.

"The office in London," Steve answers. "We'd just gotten back from the mission to rescue Sarah and another prisoner. She had gone in for reconnaissance but was discovered. The Skull had her for four days before we got her back, the other prisoner had died." He runs his hand across the picture. "Phillips had this taken for blackmail purposes. Nobody was going home that night, they were too worried."

"Is that my dad holding her with you?" Tony asks squinting at the picture. Steve laughs softly.

"Yeah. Your dad, hell, I would have thought he was her older brother or something with the way he was acting. He took good care of her. Howard, he held her close while she used me as a pillow. I fear for what the Skull will do to her this time," Steve says softly. Tony grips Steve's hand.

"She'll be fine." Tony moves away to allow Steve to stare at the photo in peace. A few sheets covered some old army mattresses placed on the floor. Steve laid in the center of the mess with Sarah's head on his far shoulder and the rest of her body half on him and half on top of Howard Stark. Howard had his arms wrapped around the blond with one of Steve's arms on top of his to help hold Sarah still. One of Sarah's hands was across Steve to Bucky who held it in his hand while lying next to Steve. All four were sound asleep.

"You'll be home soon baby girl, I promise you that," Steve whispers softly.

* * *

Aaron chuckles softly as he watches the monitors. It had been two more hours and Sarah had taken to more wounds by the Skull. The clock clicks down to the third hour and Aaron smiles at the sight of the Skull panicking.

"Where'd she go?!" the Red Skull demands slamming his fist into the computer board. Aaron had seen her disappear from the screens a half hour ago. He knew she'd find a way to get away from the Skull. The Red Skull glares at Aaron and clicks a button. Aaron screams as he's shocked by the table. The Skull releases the button and Aaron slumps on the table again. "I'll kill her for this." He storms out of the room with a gun in hand.

* * *

Sarah had found her way away from the Skull, a system of air vents. She had a feeling she did this frequently since it felt natural to climb up into it. She works her way through them with a smile. That smile fades when Aaron's screams reach her ears. She'd been remembering more and more and she knew Aaron's screams. She was a few halls from the room she needed to be but she could hear the Skull coming. So, she took out the heavy-duty tranquilizer used on the Hulk and took the grate out of the section of the air network she was in. She puts the tranquilizer on an arrow and pulls the bow back to the ready position. The second Skull is under her, she releases and watches him drop mere seconds later. She didn't care if he was dead right now she wanted Aaron. She crawls through to the grate she needs and kicks it out. Aaron looks up and smiles softly as she climbs out and hurries over to him.

"Aaron, you're all right," Sarah says softly and cups his cheek.

"I've been better but yeah," Aaron chuckles softly. "Care to break me out?" Sarah smiles and hits the release button on the table. She catches Aaron as he falls from the table to the ground. They hug tightly and he runs his fingers through her hair. "God I was so worried about you. How's your memory?"

"I'm regaining it. Come on, we need to get out of here. Do you know where your gear bag is?" Aaron points to it and she nods softly. She stuffs some pieces of spare clothes into Aaron's suit and patches him up temporarily. She does the same for herself.

"Come on, we need to get out of here." Aaron nods and leans onto her for help. The two quickly make their way through the mostly deserted base.

"Where's that army?" Sarah asks Aaron. They push through the door to the garage and nearly puke. The men were all dead. It looked a massacre. Aaron shakes his head and pulls Sarah closer. Sarah finds the release to a garage door and it flies open. Aaron and Sarah limp out together and into the snowy wilderness. They make it as far as they can, which ends up being a half-melted stream in a small ravine a few miles away from the HYDRA fortress. Aaron and Sarah are both bleeding so they have to stop. They take shelter within a small cave like area in the ravine. Aaron lies down and Sarah sits down next to him. She digs through the pack and quickly sets to work on his wounds. She quickly takes care of the cut on his leg and the stab to his stomach. She cleans off the cut to his cheek and has him press a cloth to it. She looks at her own wounds, one stab wound, a bullet to the arm, one cut to her calf and the other to her thigh. The one cut on her thigh was still bleeding. She takes her pocket lighter and lights it. She takes out one of the staffs and burns the staff until it's hot enough. She cauterizes the thigh wound to stop the bleeding.

"Can you get in touch with the Avengers?" Aaron asks. Sarah tries her gauntlet but shakes her head. She grabs the bag and digs for some tools. She pries the casing open and looks at the device. She spots the problem and pulls the wire out before reinserting it. The gauntlet kicks to life instantly. "What was it?"

"Bad connection," she answers. She clicks the communicator on. "Anyone there, this is Lady Star."

"_Kiddo it is good to hear your voice. I got a lock on your position; I'm on my way to you. The jet's a few minutes behind me and Thor._" A thud outside the cave causes the pair to look up. Thor bends down as does Iron Man. Tony's face shield opens up and he smiles. "We're glad to see you. Need a hand?"

"Yeah, we're both having difficulty with walking," Aaron groans. Sarah hands Tony the supply bag before Thor picks her up off the floor of the cave and into the daylight. Tony pulls Aaron to his feet and another arm surrounds Aaron. Aaron looks over to see his uncle there. "Clint?"

"I'm glad you're safe, Aaron," Clint says keeping his nephew from falling over.

"Sarah," Steve breathes upon seeing his daughter in Thor's arms. The Asgardian sets her down and Steve hugs her tightly. Sarah wraps an arm around him with a smile. "Come on, I'll help you to the jet and Doctor Banner can help you two." Buck comes in from the side and eases an arm around her to help support her. Loki takes Tony's place and helps Aaron and Clint back to the jet.

"Short trip," Bruce comments.

"The Skull?" Steve asks looking at the two.

"I hit him with a Hulk tranquilizer," Sarah tells him. "I was too tired to fight him, so I used one of Aaron's arrows." Steve nods softly and watches as Bruce tends to the two kids. The flight is long and full of silence. Bobbi and Natasha hug the pair when they get off the plane in the hanger.

"We were so worried," Natasha whispers into Sarah's shoulder. Sarah hugs her closer and kisses her cheek. "Are you all right sweetheart?"

"Just a few memory blanks right now," Sarah murmurs.

"I'm going to take a scan of her head," Bruce reassures Natasha.

Bobbi holds her nephew close. "Don't you do this to me again Aaron Barton. I'm not going to lose you. You're my stepson now, don't you dare do that to me again."

"The papers went through?" Aaron asks Clint who nods. Aaron gets tears in his eyes and hugs Bobbi tighter. "I won't Mom." He looks at Clint. "Dad." Clint smirks and hugs the both of them.

* * *

"It won't hurt right?" Sarah asks eyeing the machine that Bruce is motioning to.

"Not at all." Sarah lies down, Bruce has the machine push the bed in, and it starts to hum taking a detailed scan of her brain. Sarah starts to remember some things from the mission and her hands starts to shake at the memories.

"B-Bruce, something's wrong," Sarah stammers as her head starts to really hurt.

Steve and Aaron, both standing in the observation room with Bruce, look at Bruce and rush to the door. "Bruce!" they shout.

"I'm working on it!" Bruce snaps hitting the emergency shut off switch. The door opens and the pair rush to Sarah as the bed comes out. Sarah's shaking, her eyes fluttering, her body shaking. Aaron grabs her hand.

"Baby, come on, look at me sweetheart. Fight this," Aaron coaches.

"D-Don't t-touch h-him!" Sarah stammers incoherently. Bruce is next to Steve as Steve holds her arm down. Bruce administers a sedative forcing Sarah to sleep.

"Bruce?" Aaron asks.

"I don't know, I'll run some blood work," the man replies. Bruce takes a blood sample and looks at the pair. "Take her to the medical room for now. Aaron, did the Skull inject her with anything?"

"Something. Made her forget for a while. He tortured us for two days before he gave it to her," Aaron explains. "I thought it was out of her system."

"It might be or not," Bruce replies. "I'll check on her soon." He leaves the room.

Steve picks her up and Aaron follows catching doors for him. Steve sets her down on a bed and looks at Aaron. Aaron is red in the face and not looking too good either.

"Aaron?" The boy doesn't respond. "Aaron?"

"Who's Aaron?" he asks looking up at Steve. His eyes roll back and Steve barely catches him in time.

"JARVIS, get me Bruce now! Bucky too!" Bruce runs into the room to see Aaron in Steve's arm as the man sets the boy down on a bed. "He collapsed and didn't know his own name."

Bruce takes a blood sample and has JARVIS do a scan of both of the kids. Tony gets into the lab just as Bucky arrives. Bruce looks at Bucky. "What was Red Skull working on?"

"Memory alterations and mind control, both a serum and a nano-bot serum that would infiltrate and take control of the mind. Why?" Bucky asks.

"Get on a bed and get that jacket off. We have to test you too," Bruce says.

"What happened?" Bucky asks.

"Sarah, I don't know what exactly happened there but Aaron lost his memory and dropped like a sack of potatoes," Steve replies. Bucky takes off his jacket and lays does on a bed. Bruce takes a blood test and is running his as Aaron's blood. Bruce looks at Steve.

"Out Steve."

"I'm not leaving her."

"We don't know what's going to happen. Go be with Natasha." Tony shoves the man out of the lab and locks the door so he can't get in. Steve watches through the window until Tony has the windows blacked out.

"Bruce?" Bucky asks.

"You're clean," Bruce replies. "The kids aren't. Sarah's got both in her, Aaron's got the bots." He looks at Tony. "Any clue on how to get them out?"

"EMP?" Tony suggests.

"Might work. I don't know though." Tony and Bruce think for a few minutes. "Reed and Pym?"

"That's what I was thinking," Tony agrees. He makes the call and both scientists make it there within twenty minutes. They look at the data and bounce ideas off each other.

"The EMP will work for the bots but the serum, I don't know," Pym says.

"We can work on the serum after we get the bots out," Tony decides. "Bruce, get the EMP machine out and set it for a ten meter radius. I'll be in the hall." Tony walks out to the hall and watches as Bruce does as he told.

The two teenagers arch gasping as the bots died off. Bucky and Bruce hold the two of them down while Pym inserts a filter into IVs to draw the nano-bots out. It took a good twenty minutes before both of them were cleared of the bots. Tony walks back in as Bruce turns the machine off.

"The bots are out. Now we have to figure out the serum," Reed says walking over to a computer and analyzing the screen. "Barnes, any clue what he was using?"

"No, never got my hands on it."

"Who are you?" Sarah demands jumping away from Bruce as he came toward her with a needle. She runs to a corner of the lab. "Where am I?"

Aaron shook his head slowly waking up. "Sarah?" Aaron asks softly looking around. He spots her cowering in the corner. "Bruce, what happened?"

"She has a memory loss serum in her," Bruce tells Aaron. Aaron sits up slowly on the bed walking toward Sarah.

"Sarah, sweetheart, you're fine. They're trying to help you," Aaron insists.

"Aaron?" Sarah whispers softly. "Aaron, you're my boyfriend." She shakes her head. "I trust you. Who are they?" Aaron walks forward offering a hand to her. She throws her arms around him hiding from the others.

"They're your family, the Avengers and some of the other superheroes in New York. You lost your memory," Aaron says softly.

"I…I did? How do I remember you?"

"I don't know how you remember me but they're going to fix it, okay?" She nods softly hiding her face in his shirt.

"Sarah, I need to take another blood sample," Bruce says cautiously. She looks up at Aaron who nods softly. She holds out her arm flinching as Bruce took the sample. "Aaron, take her to her room. Bucky, get them some food and bring it up to them. We'll be working here." Both men nod and Aaron leads Sarah out as she clings to him. Bruce turns to the others and they start to pull apart the serum.

* * *

**So, been a while. Sorry it's been so long, I've had a lot happen in my life since the last time I posted. **


	32. Memories of Lost Control

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE AVENGERS OR MARVEL!**

**Loki: What is wrong with the writer? **

**Tony: Daddy issues...**

**Loki: I think most of us can relate to that.**

** Clint: Agreed. **

**Natasha: Likewise. **

**Steve: You think she'll be all right? **

**Natasha: Her writing again is helping. Maybe if she had more plot bunnies for this story and future ones she'd be happier. **

**Tony: Clint, go find some chocolate ice cream, I'm going to go make some hot chocolate for her. **

**Clint: Sounds like a plan. **

**Steve: Let her continue writing.**

* * *

Two weeks later, Sarah wakes up with her head on Aaron's shoulder. His fingers are trailing down her hair softly. She sighs softly and snuggles deeper into his arms. She kisses his bare shoulder softly as her fingers tap slowly on his heart. He kisses the top of her head with a soft smile.

"How are you feeling?" he asks her.

"I'm okay," she replies. "I want my memories back." He kisses her head again. She cries softly into his shoulder. "I want them back Aaron."

"I know love, I know." He moves her so she's lying on top of him. He kisses her lips softly holding her close "Everything will work out. How about we go out for a while?"

Sarah nods and sits up, using the blanket to cover up, and brushes her hair from her face. He sits up with her running his hand down the side of her face. She leans into his touch smiling softly.

"How about I take a shower with you?" Aaron offers. Sarah nods and he picks her up gently. She leans against him as he carries her to the bathroom. The shower lasted a good half hour, and they did more than just shower.

* * *

"Steve I'm worried," Natasha whispers as she sits at the kitchen table. "They still haven't found a way to get her memories back."

"She'll get them back Natasha, she will," Steve promises. He reaches over and rubs her womb softly. "Everything will work out." She nods softly and smiles at him. Tony walks into the kitchen with a tray of coffee mugs. He fills them up with coffee before looking at Steve and Natasha. He shakes his head and walks back out with the coffee mugs.

"Where is she?" Natasha asks Steve softly.

"Aaron is taking her out for a while. She needs the air," Steve replies. "Maybe she'll start remembering on her own." Natasha leans into her husband. "I hope you're right dear."

* * *

"This is really nice Aaron," Sarah says softly as they walk around Central Park.

"I thought you would like it," Aaron replies with a smile. "I'm glad you are." He kisses her cheek softly and continues to walk with her. They fall in step next to each other easily. Sarah leans her head onto his shoulder and smiles up at him. A stone hits her in the back and she gasps softly. Aaron turns around to see some of the students from their old school.

"Leave us alone," Aaron snarls.

"Stay out of his Barton, this is between us and Rogers. She got people killed," one of them says.

"Aaron?" Sarah asks nervously. "Is that true? Did I do something?"

"What's wrong with her?" the girl in the group asks.

"She lost her memory," Aaron replies pushing Sarah behind him. "She doesn't remember anything right now."

"Doesn't matter to me. She's the reason they attacked the school, the reason they blew it up," the leader growls. "She has to pay for what she caused."

"Aaron, Aaron what's he talking about?" Sarah asks worried. Aaron doesn't have time to respond as the guys charge wanting to get around Aaron to Sarah. The girl comes around and pulls Sarah to the side.

"You used to go to our school," she explains. "There was an attack on it, someone blew up the school. They determined that they were going after you since you're an Avengers kid. People died in the attack." Sarah looks at the girl and then at the ground.

"I…."

"Don't say anything," the girl insists. "It wasn't your fault, I know that. My boyfriend and brothers don't understand."

Aaron howls in pain as one of the kids pulls a knife. He slams his fist in to the kid's ear and rips the knife out of his leg. He throws it to the ground swearing up a storm.

"Aaron? Aaron!" Sarah cries running forward and wrapping her arms around him. She puts a hand on the wound. "You're bleeding!"

"It's nothing," Aaron insists glaring at the three boys around them. They glare and run off, the girl soon following. Aaron reaches down and grabs the knife from the ground. He collapses the blade and puts it in his pocket. "Come on, we should get out of here before they come back," he says softly. She nods and follows after him.

"Is it true?" Sarah asks softly.

"There was an attack, but they were after more than just you, they just took it out on you because you're the only one publicly known as a superhero," Aaron explains. Sarah nods softly and holds him upright as they walk. They arrive at the Tower and she helps him to the infirmary. Acting on a clouded memory, she takes out the medical gear she needs and starts to clean and stitch the wound.

"You still remember to do that I see," he comments.

"I don't know how."

"It's not unreasonable. They're programmed actions in your head, it's only natural," Aaron replies. He strokes her hair softly as she works. She finishes working on the stitches and puts the supplies away. "What should we do now?"

"Get her memories back," Bruce replies from the doorway. "We might have the answer."

"Really?" Sarah asks hopefully. Bruce nods and Aaron gets off the bed. "What are we waiting for them?" Sarah beams at Aaron and he leads her to the room she needs to be in. Tony is there with Reed.

"Where's Pym?" Aaron asks.

"He went to get the last component," Tony replies. Pym walks in with two syringes. "For the sake of your sanity, we're putting you to sleep first so the memories can come back as dreams." She nods softly and Tony leads her to a bed. She lays down and reaches for Aaron's hand. He takes her hand and smiles at her.

"I'll be here the whole time," he promises. She nods softly as Bruce comes over with the syringes.

"You'll be asleep in minutes," Bruce promises. He sticks the needle in and pushes the liquid into her bloodstream. She looks at Aaron as her eyes flutter closed. He kisses her softly and she's off in oblivion. Bruce hooks up an IV drip and puts the syringe full of liquid into the bag.

"How long will it take?" Aaron asks.

"A few hours," Bruce replies. "If we force too many memories on her too soon she could lose her mind." Aaron pulls up a seat and strokes her hand and face softly. "I'm going to go tell Steve."

* * *

_*Memories*_

_*WWII*_

_Sarah growls as she's brought before the Skull. _

_"Ah, you are de pet of Captain America, yes?" the Skull asks looking at her. _

_"I'm not anyone's pet!" she snarls at him. _

_"We shall see if cannot change that." The Skull motions to a table. The guards force her onto it and strap her down with thick metal restraints. "These restraints are meant for your Captain. I suppose they suit you for now." _

_"He's going to kill you when he gets here," she says seriously._

_"You and I both know he will get you out first." Her eyes narrow and he hits a switch causing electricity to course through her body. She cries out straining against the restraints holding her. "Better than I expected." _

_"You'll never break me, Schmidt." He grins and turns up the dial causing a scream to rip from her throat. He flips the switch and she slumps back on the table breathing hard. _

_"Very resilient. Vell, I have another prisoner to see to." He sets a few dials on the machine and flicks another switch. "This machine will go off every hour on the hour for two solid minutes. It will not kill you." She spits in his face and he wipes the spit away. "For that you shall pay dearly. Later, however." True to his word, it did go off every hour. _

_The next day, the Skull walks in to find her straining against the restraints as the two minutes clicked by. He turns the machine off and smirks as she struggles to breathe. _

_"Time for your last breakfast." He motions people forward and they force feed her and force a gallon of water down her throat. She whimpers tossing her head back and forth after. He pulls out a knife. "How much pain can you endure?" _

_"I believe this is against the Geneva Convention," she grounds out. _

_"I do not follow it." He smiles as he trails the knife down her arm._

_The next day, a very bloody Sarah Rogers wakes up to find an IV being placed in her arm. _

_"What are you doing?" she demands. _

_"The liquid about to be place inside of you will cause intense pain," the Skull replies. The pain was almost immediate. _

_The fourth day came, a now severely dehydrated Sarah Rogers lays limp on the table occasionally crying out. _

_"Are you ready to serve HYDRA?" Skull asks. _

_"Rushman, Natalie," she murmurs trying to remember the numbers on her dog tag. The Skull strokes her hair softly. She whimpers and turns her head away. _

_"Serve me and I will make the pain go away." _

_A blast erupts outside of the room. The door blasts in and the Skull lets off some shots before running for safety. Sarah cries softly fearing the worst. _

_"Natalie, Natalie," Bucky says over and over again as he reaches her. _

_"Bucky?" she whimpers looking up at him. _

_"I'm right here, right here," he says softly. He takes the restraints off and pulls the IV out. He places a bandage over the injection mark as Dugan comes over with a blanket. "Can you move?" _

_"N-no," she whispers softly. Dugan covers her in the blanket and she pulls it close for the warmth. Bucky hands Dugan his gear before picking Sarah up. She cries out in pain. _

_"Easy, we're going to take you home." She nods softly. Steve runs up to them after finishing off the last of the men. _

_"Nat?" he asks softly. Sarah reaches for him. Bucky hands Sarah off and she curls into Steve's arms. "Easy." _

_"What took you so long?" she whimpers._

_"Long story," Steve replies. "You're safe now." _

_"He took it away." _

_"What?" _

_"My control, he took it away," she cries. He kisses her forehead as they head for the transport where a medic was waiting. _

_"You'll get it back." _

* * *

_*1940s* _

_Howard hums softly as he works on some gadget of his. He looks up as Sarah walks into the room in a long evening dress. _

_"Where are you headed?" Howard asks. _

_"I'm going out to a club," she replies. "I want to hear the big bands playing." _

_"Who are you going with?" Howard inquires sitting up and putting the gadget down. _

_"Nobody." _

_"Sarah, I know you like your independence but girls need escorts," Howard replies. "Why didn't you ask me to go with you?" _

_"Because you're my uncle's dad and I don't want things to get awkward," she answers folding her arms. _

_"You know I'd never do that to you," Howard defends. _

_"I remember the last time you drank too much, Howard, even if you don't," Sarah replies sternly. "I'll be fine." _

_"Be home by eleven." Sarah rolls her eyes and walks out of the mansion and to a waiting car. The ride is quiet and peaceful. She smiles as she walks out into the night air and enters the club. She has a table waiting and walks over to it. She smiles as she listens to the band play on the floor below. _

_"Now what's a young thing like you doing here?" some man asks. Sarah looks at him before turning back to the band. _

_"Enjoying music." _

_"Where's your escort?" _

_"Bathroom." _

_"I've been watching, you don't have one," he replies with a smirk. "Why don't I escort you home?" _

_"I'm fine on my own, thank you." She takes a sip of her drink and smiles as the band plays a song she loves. The man pulls a knife and puts it on the back of her neck. She stiffens visibly. She couldn't do anything inside the club. She gets up when he orders her to. She walks out the back door of the club where two of his friends are and they pin her to the wall. She tries fighting back but a fist and an elbow to her mouth made her stop. Another man punches her in the eye while the other punches her stomach. She coughs the blood up onto one of the men. _

_"So pretty," the leader laughs. _

_"Get away from her," a stern voice says and Sarah looks up to see Howard there with a body guard and Jarvis. _

_"This isn't any of your business," the leader of the men snarls. _

_"Yes it is." Howard motions the body guard forward and he takes out the two men pinning Sarah. Howard slams his fist into the leader's face before Jarvis pins him to the ground. Howard wraps his arms around Sarah as she stumbles away from her attackers. _

_"Let's get you home." The body guard and Jarvis follow them back to the waiting car. When they get back to the mansion, Howard helps Sarah to her bed and tends to her. She spits blood into a cup before rinsing her mouth out. He pushes her hair back as he cleans the small cut next to her eye. _

_"Just say it," she mumbles. _

_"Say what?" _

_"I told you so." He sighs softly dabbing away the blood on her lips and chin. _

_"I told you so." He looks her in the eyes. "It's a good thing I came after you." _

_"Wasn't even eleven." _

_"I had a hunch." He puts the rag down and cups the good side of her face. "Don't do that again." She nods softly and he brushes her hair back. "You going to be okay?" She nods softly. "You should get some rest." Howard stands up and makes for the door. _

_"Howard?" He looks back at her. "Can I stay with you tonight?"_

_"Sure. I'll meet you in my room." She nods softly and changes into some of her bed clothes. She goes to his room and he looks down at her. She's near tears. "Hey, why you crying?" _

_"They took away my power, my control," she whispers. "I should have been able to stop them. Instead I was just a helpless dame." He shakes his head and kisses the top of her head. "Howard?" _

_"You are not a helpless dame. Come on, you should try to get some sleep." She nods softly and goes to his bed. He holds her close all night, keeping her from losing control. _

* * *

_*Modern-ish times, Sarah's ten* _

_Sarah screams and kicks as one of the guards picks her up and carries her to the post. "No! No!" _

_"Shut up!" Another guard back hands her causing her to fall from the guard's hands. They shackle her wrists and ankles to the post so she's standing up against it her face to the pole. She quivers and cries as they cut her dirty old barely there dress off. A whip cracks behind her and she lets out a whimper knowing what's coming. The man behind her moves the whip toward her back, the whistle of the whip warning her. It slashes into her back causing a scream to erupt from her lips. _

_"The more you cry the more lashings you get," the man tells her. She tightens her muscles as the next one comes and she screams her legs giving way as the whip hits them. Her weight falls onto her wrists and she hangs against the post. She cries harder as more lashings are handed out. _

_"Enough," someone says. "The bucket." Sarah's whole body trembles as a bucket of disinfectant is brought forward. _

_"No," she whimpers. The bucket is poured and her screams shatter glass. Her body convulses against her restraints and she cries until she can't cry anymore. _

_"Take her back to her cell." They haul her up and to the cell. Through the bars she can see one of the mother's there with new clothes. They throw her into the cell and slam the bars shut. The mother dresses the wounds and redresses her before laying her down on a cot. _

_"_Они пытаются разорвать вас. Забрать ваш элемент управления. Никогда не позволяйте любой человек, сделать это для вас_," (They're trying to break you. To take away your control. Never let any man do that to you) she whispers softly stroking Sarah's hair. Sarah nods softly. _

* * *

_*Sarah in Skull's Castle before waking up in the hallway* _

_Sarah glares at the Skull as she wakes up on a table eerily similar to the one from the War. "Skull." _

_"Well well, can't say I'm happy to see you again," he says. "And you have a new boy toy. What, Barnes and Rogers weren't cutting it?" _

_"Barnes is my uncle, care to guess who my daddy is?" Sarah counters. _

_"I should have known," the Skull chuckles. "Well, to be honest I'm not surprised. So who's he?" _

_"I'm the guy that's going to kill you," Aaron snarls. _

_"Aaron, hush," Sarah says sternly. _

_"First name, means you're not just partners," Skull observes. "Must be lovers." He takes out a gun and points it at Aaron. "How would you react if I pulled the trigger?" Sarah's stone face makes him grin and he pulls the trigger shooting the round over Aaron's head. Sarah screams out and he laughs. "Thought so. Let's see what happens when you forget him." He injects two syringes into her blood stream. She cries out and struggles as the nano-bots start to move around. They calm down as the other serum takes effect. She looks at Aaron her eyes telling the whole story. _

_"It'll be all right," he promises. "You're strong enough. You can beat it." She nods softly. She whimpers as memories start to fade. "Say my name." _

_"Aaron."_

_"Again." _

_"Aaron, Aaron, Aaron, Aaron, Aaron," she repeats again and again until her eyes close. _

* * *

Sarah jerks awake and bolts into the sitting position. She struggles to calm her rapid breathing.

"Babe, calm down," Aaron says firmly. "Calm down." She nods taking a deep breath before looking at Aaron. "How do you feel?"

"Ready to kill the Skull." She rubs her eyes. "I'm good."

"All memories intact?"

"Yeah."

"Good." He kisses her forehead. "Up for dinner with the family?" Sarah nods softly and Aaron helps her stand. They head upstairs to the kitchen where everyone is starting to dish up. Steve looks up and smiles. He walks over hugging his daughter.

"How you feeling baby girl?" he asks softly.

"Good Dad," she replies hugging him back. "All better."

"I'm glad. Come on, saved you both a seat." Sarah smiles and takes a seat next to her brother with Aaron sitting next to her. Natalia smiles at her sister reassuringly.

* * *

**There's another one.**


	33. Torunn, Anthony, James, and Francis

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE AVENGERS OR MARVEL!**

**Note: James, Torunn, and Francis aren't my creations. They are actually children to the respective pairs in another universe. So they're not mine. Tony's kid is mine though. **

* * *

The days and weeks blur together. When Aaron and Sarah weren't away on missions they were either at a SHIELD base working or helping one of the adults with something. Sarah normally ends up helping Pepper since the soon to be mother needed help running the company.

Late May comes around and the Tower is visited by Fandral.

"Fandral, what news do you bring?" Thor asks.

"Lady Sif nears her day of delivery," Fandral replies.

"Ah yes, I should return to Asgard!" Thor declares.

"She desires that Young Sarah returns with you," Fandral tells Thor. "She is the God Mother, yes?"

"Of course. I shall summon her." Thor goes off to find Sarah. Sarah is with Aaron when Thor comes into the kitchen.

"Thor?" she asks. "Is that Fandral I hear?"

"Yes, Sif is nearing her delivery," Thor says. "He came to summon me and yourself. You are the God Mother, she wants you there." Sarah nods. "We leave shortly."

"I will be there shortly, I have to tell my parents," Sarah says. Thor nods and heads off to tell Loki. Sarah turns to Aaron. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

"No falling in love with gods while you're there," Aaron says with a grin.

"I won't." She kisses him before running off and telling her parents. She joins Thor and Fandral on the roof and they go to Asgard. There are horses waiting on the bridge when they arrive. Sarah climbs onto her mare with a smile. She keeps up with the boys back to the stables. She smiles as the castle gates come into view.

Frigga is at the door to greet them. "Sarah, good to see you again. The hair child?"

"Long story," she replies. Frigga chuckles and shows her back to the room while Thor goes to see Odin.

"We kept your clothes for you," Frigga tells Sarah as they enter the chamber. "After you've changed I shall take you to Sif." Sarah disappears behind a changing screen and changes into a dress. She comes out smiling at Frigga. "Fits you still."

"Who does Sif fair?" she inquires as they walk.

"She fairs well," Frigga replies. They enter a room where Sif lays upon a bed looking tired.

"Sarah," she says with a smile. "I am glad you came. My husband?"

"Is right here," Thor says walking in and kissing Sif. "How are you and babe?"

"Good, my beloved." Sarah smiles softly at the pair.

* * *

Thursday June 5, 2014

"Miss Sarah!" Fandral shouts through the halls. Sarah looks up from her book. It been about a week since she'd arrived. "It is time!" Sarah bolts from her spot to Sif's bedchambers. Thor is being ushered out by Frigga as she bolts inside. Sigyn is there coaching Sif calmly. Sarah takes Sif's hand in her own.

"You're doing great Sif," Sarah insists.

"AH!" she cries out falling back on the bed. "Gods I'm going to kill that man." Sarah and Sigyn both laugh as Frigga gets out a blanket and brings a table closer.

"Push," Sigyn says firmly. Sif cries out as she pushes and nearly breaks Sarah's hand as she squeezes the woman's hand. "Again." Sif cries out again. "I can see the head. Just a little further Sif." Sif cries out again screaming as she pushes. "Shoulders are out." Sigyn cradles the baby bringing the baby out. She smiles as she cuts the umbilical cord. The baby cries out and squirms in Sigyn's hands. Sigyn checks the baby over before allowing Frigga to wrap the baby in a blanket. Frigga offers the baby to Sarah who now has her hand back. Sif has her eyes closed as she rests for a few moments.

"What is it?" Sif asks softly. Sarah checks under the blanket.

"A little girl," Sarah replies. Sif smiles softly opening her eyes and holding her arms so she could hold her baby. Sarah gently lays the baby in Sif's arms and sits next to the woman. She smiles at the sight of her daughter. "She's beautiful Sif."

"She is," Sif whispers softly stroking the baby's face. "So beautiful."

The door opens to the bedroom. Thor appears in the doorway with Odin. Sarah motions him closer and Thor rushes to his wife's side. He sits down on the other side of the bed and puts a finger on his daughter's head. Sif look at Thor and he kisses her softly.

"Torunn," Sif says softly. Thor has happy tears in his eyes as he kisses Sif's cheek and then his daughter's forehead.

"She's beautiful," Thor whispers softly. Sarah gets off the bed and walks over to Frigga and Odin.

"Congratulation, All-Father, All-Mother," Sarah says. Frigga smiles and Sarah walks over to Sigyn. "Loki sends his love, I spoke to him this morning."

"Do you think I could come visit him soon?" Sigyn asks.

"Of course." Sarah returns to Earth a week later after the official naming of the child and being sworn to be her God Mother. Sigyn is with her and Loki immediately whisks Sigyn away for some private time with his wife.

* * *

Thursday June 26, 2014

Sarah walks into Pepper's office with papers. She finds Pepper holding her stomach and having a clear expression of pain on her face. She drops the papers and hurries to Pepper's side. "Pepper?" The red head looks up at her grabbing her shoulder firmly.

"It's time." Sarah nods. "JARVIS! Inform Tony! Get the doctor to the infirmary." Sarah wraps an arm around Pepper's waist. "Come on Pepper." Pepper gasps as Sarah helps her up. Tony meets them at the elevator of the infirmary. The worried very soon to be father frantically searches his wife's face for anything he can do. Sarah leaves Pepper in Tony's hands and goes to get everyone else.

"AH!" Pepper's scream can be heard in the hallway outside of the infirmary.

"SHIT!" Tony yelps as Pepper grips his hand. "You're doing great Pep."

"She break his hand yet?" Clint calls to the doctor.

"Shut it Clint!" Tony shouts while Pepper laughs.

"Got her to laugh," Clint says with a grin. They wait patiently until a soft cry through the door. They all look at each other and then through the infirmary door.

"It's a boy!" Tony shouts happily.

"Oh good god," Clint mutters. "Another Tony."

Tony runs up to the door beaming. "We're going to name him Anthony. He's a Junior!" Tony declares happily.

"I'm happy for you Tony," Steve says with a smile putting a hand on the man's shoulder.

"Cap, be the godfather?" Tony asks. "Please?"

Steve nods stammering out a yes. Tony beams and hugs Steve before going back to his wife. Steve looks at everyone else. "That really happened, right?"

"Yeah," SJ says kind of stunned.

"Come on in!" Pepper calls. The family comes in to see them and smiles softly at the sight of the small family. "Anthony." She shows the baby to them all. "Steve, would you like to hold him?" Steve nods softly and Pepper holds the godson up to his godfather. The boy looks up at Steve lazily. He coos softly and Steve smiles before handing the baby back to Pepper.

"Looks like his father," Aaron comments.

"I'm a dad," Tony says with a million watt smile. "I'm a dad!"

"Congratulation Tony," Clint says with a smile.

* * *

Sunday July 13, 2014

"Avengers, the Tower is under attack," JARVIS reports over the intercom.

"Sarah get your mother to the safe room," Steve orders. "Bruce go with them. Take the elevator." Sarah nods putting an arm around Natasha and helping her mother to her feet. Bruce walks ahead of them activating the elevator as they arrive. Natasha groans and cries out in pain clutching her womb.

"Natasha?" Bruce asks in concern.

"It's nothing Bruce," Natasha says sternly. They make it two floors before the elevator jerks to a halt and the lights flicker until the elevator is running on backup power.

"JARVIS?" Bruce calls. Sarah hits the communications button on her wrist.

"Tony?"

"EMP," Tony answers. "Where are you?"

"Trapped in the elevator." Natasha cries out again and grabs onto the wall. "I think Mom is going to have her baby."

"We'll get you out as soon as we can," Tony promises. "Hold tight." Sarah looks up at Bruce.

"Natasha, you're going to have to lay down," Bruce says. "Sarah, do you have your knife?" She flips it out and shows it to Bruce. "When is the last time you cleaned it?" Sarah puts her hand over it and the blade shone brightly. "Good." Sarah hands the knife to Bruce and helps her mother onto her back. She gets behind Natasha holding her so she was sort of sitting up. Bruce moves Natasha's skirt so it rested on her knees. "You're dilated Natasha."

Natasha lets out a cry and grabs onto Sarah's hand. "Yah think!" She groans and rests her head on Sarah's shoulder.

"Just a bit longer and we can start the pushing, okay?" Bruce says softly. "Sarah, can you get in touch with your brother or someone. There's an escape hatch above us. We need hot water." Sarah nods and does as Bruce asks. The hatch pops open ten minutes later as shots can be heard from around the Tower. Aaron pops his head in and hands Bruce the water.

"Sorry, got to run. I'm on baby protection duty," Aaron says before taking off again. Natasha cries out again.

"You're ready Natasha. Remember all those lessons. Start breathing," Bruce says calmly. "Push Natasha." Natasha pushes crying out and squeezing down on Sarah's hand as she does so. "Again."

"God I'm going to kill your father," Natasha growls.

"Have fun with that honey," Steve says through Sarah's communicator. "We just have two more groups to defeat then we'll work on getting the power back on." Sarah chuckles softly and brushes her mom's hair back. Natasha cries out again throwing her head into Sarah's shoulder.

"I can see the top of the head Natasha." Natasha laughs in relief. "Push." She does crying as she does so. "Again. Sarah I need your shirt." Sarah strips off her shirt and hands it to Bruce. "Again. The shoulders are almost through Natasha." Natasha screams pushing harder. Bruce guides the baby the rest of the way. "Rest Natasha." Natasha laughs softly relaxing in Sarah's arms. Bruce cuts the cord and washes the baby with the water. He uses Sarah's shirt and his own to wrap the baby to keep him warm. Bruce moves sitting next to the two girls with the baby in his arms.

"It's a boy Natasha," Bruce tells her.

"He's beautiful," she murmurs softly.

"Hold him?" Bruce offers. Natasha nods softly taking her son into her arms. She kisses the boy's forehead softly moving the red hair back out of his face. "What are you going to call him?"

"James," Natasha answers. Sarah smiles watching her infant brother open his eyes for the first time. He cries and squirms some but quiets down after Natasha starts singing softly.

"All right, this should do it," Tony says hooking up another wire. The elevator moves again and opens up to the medical floor where half the team is waiting. Bruce looks up and smiles at Steve.

"Come meet your son Steve," Bruce says with a grin. Bruce gets out of the way and Steve kneels next to Natasha. He smiles at his daughter and wife before looking at his infant son.

"He has your hair Natasha," Steve murmurs. He kisses Natasha's forehead. "I'm sorry I wasn't here."

"You can make it up by carrying me to the infirmary," Natasha replies. "I want sleep." Steve smiles and does as he's asked. Aaron walks over and pulls Sarah off the floor. She smiles at him before stepping out of the elevator happy to be able to stretch her muscles again.

* * *

Wednesday July 30, 2014

Aaron looks at his phone as he and Sarah lay on the couch watching a movie. He picks up the phone. "Yeah Clint?"

"Get to SHIELD. Bobbi's having the baby!"

"She's what!" Aaron sat up so fast that Sarah landed on the floor. "I'll be there soon." He pulls Sarah up. "Give me a lift to the SHIELD building?"

"Of course." They make their way to the hanger and climb onto the skycycle. The two of them fly across the city to the building housing SHIELD and to the back parking lot. Sarah's never seen Aaron run so fast.

"Dad?" Aaron asks getting to the room. He looks in to see Clint holding a small child and Bobbi fast asleep.

"It's a boy," Clint whispers. Sarah walks in behind Aaron and hugs her boyfriend. "We're naming him Francis, Frank for short." Aaron walks over and peers down at the platinum blond baby.

"Hello Frankie," he whispers. "I'm your big brother Aaron." Sarah watches the small family with a broad smile. The baby stirs and looks right at Aaron. He coos and opens his mouth a few times. Aaron chuckles and looks up at Sarah with a bright smile. The big brother in him really came out about then.


	34. Runaway

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE AVENGERS OR MARVEL!**

* * *

"AVENGERS! SUIT UP!" Steve calls through the house. Aaron and Sarah groan as they jump off the couch and head for the armory. The pair quickly dress in their usual gear.

"What is it this time?" Bruce asks as the group climbs into the jet. Natasha, now back on active duty since it had been almost three months since the baby had been born, slides into her seat with ease.

"HYRDA and AIM," Steve replies. Sarah stiffens slightly and the first name. She takes a deep breath looking at Aaron. He kisses her cheek and she smiles at him confident that they'd all make it home alive.

* * *

"Take the left, we'll take the right," Steve says looking at Aaron and Sarah. The pair nod and head off in one direction while Steve goes with Natasha in another. Around them Thor is causing explosions with his lightning. The Hulk is tearing through walls. Clint's put quite a few arrows in their targets.

"Steve, duck!" Natasha yells pushing him down as a knife flies at them. She shoots at the man wielding the knives and Steve throws the shield to knock the other knives out of the way. An explosion rocks the building coming from the direction Sarah and Aaron had went in. Steve looks behind him and tries to reach them on the comms.

"Sarah? Aaron! Come in! Kids! TONY!"

"I can't pick up the body heat, the flames are too hot. I'm pinned Steve, you're closest," Tony reports. Natasha kills the man and nods to Steve.

"We're headed there now," Natasha says.

* * *

Five minutes earlier.

"This is way too easy," Aaron mutters. Sarah glares at him. "What?"

"You really had to say that?" The next minute a shot rings through the air and Sarah looks at the bullet implanted in her armor. She looks up with a raised eyebrow. Standing before them is a person with a red skull…that isn't Johann Schmidt.

"Who are you?" Sarah demands.

"Sinthea Schmidt," she replies. "Sin is what my father calls me."

"Star?" Aaron asks softly.

"It's true," Sarah replies. "I saw the child once." She aims her weapon at Sinthea's burned face. "She follows her father's steps." Sinthea smiles and raises her gun slightly. Aaron pulls an arrow back and releases. Sarah pushes Aaron to the side when she realizes the pistol was now trained on him. She runs forward hitting Sin in the face repeatedly while the older woman punched her gut. Sarah flips her over and into a wall support. She pulls out a knife and drives it into Sin's heart. Sin grins and a device drops from her hand. Sarah's eyes widen as she runs to Aaron throwing up shields on her gauntlets. She pushes him to the ground and covers him. The explosion goes off not three feet to the right of them. The heat reaches them through the shield and Sarah cries out as her gauntlets start to burn intensely. The flames stop around them and her gauntlets short circuit until they fall off. The cloth that had allowed her to control them with her mind falls away. She sits up and Aaron looks at her as she stares at her wrists.

"I'm…I'm free Aaron," Sarah whispers softly. "No tracking device. No gauntlets."

"Sarah?"

Sarah touches his face. "Come with me. Let's leave the Avengers behind. Get away from this life. Let them thing we disappeared or something. Aaron, we can be rid of SHIELD, the Avengers, everything, even if it's only for a while."

"Sarah, do you realize what you're suggesting?" Aaron says softly. "They'd think we're dead! They'd kill us when they found out that it was all a lie."

"Aaron, I need a break from all this. I don't want to leave without you," Sarah whispers. Aaron nods softly and sets his bow and quiver with her gauntlets. Sarah throws her armor down with it along with her cellphone. She looks at Aaron. "That will tell them we're still alive." Aaron drops his phone on the pile as well.

"Your necklace." Sarah looks at her necklaces and pulls all of them off. She wraps them in part of her uniform and looks at Aaron after placing them on top of her armor. "Where will we go?"

"Don't worry about that." Sarah pulls him along and they run out of the wreckage quickly. They hail a cab and ride it to a safe house. Sarah puts in the code to the lock and hurries Aaron inside. She uses the house phone to call Maria.

"Forewarning would have been nice," Maria snaps as she picks up the line. "I can't get free for a good hour. They're searching for you two already."

"Thank you Maria."

"There's hair dye in the master bathroom, use it. I'll be there as soon as I can."

"See you then." Sarah hangs up and looks at Aaron.

"So?" he asks.

"We have to dye our hair."

"No!"

"Aaron, we can't be recognized!" He nods softly. "Come on." She leads him to the master bathroom and pulls out all the hair dye there. They look at all the colors and sigh softly. He grabs the red. "Really?"

"I'll look like my dad." Sarah looks at all the other colors before grabbing a dark brunette shade. She motions him to a waiting chair.

"Sit down Aaron, I'll dye your hair." He sits down and she starts the process of dying both of their hair different colors. Sarah smiles at the finished product, they didn't look like themselves. She cuts his hair a bit shorter on the sides. He smiles as he takes the scissors from her.

"Nothing too bad, please," Sarah pleads. She closes her eyes as he cuts her hair. He angles her bangs a different way and cuts her hair so it forms more of a bob with some of her bangs to be pulled to the side. She opens her eyes and smiles. "Wow."

"Ye of little faith," Aaron chuckles.

A knock sounds from downstairs and the pair walk down together. Sarah checks it before letting Maria in. She stares at them.

"Wow, that's a change," she mumbles. "I'll need the hair color so I can send some boxes of it to you."

"I'll go get them," Aaron says running back upstairs. Sarah looks at Maria.

"I have your new identities and histories," Maria says holding up a few files. "And job histories. This top folder is your new home and the jobs I've set up for you there. I just need some photos of the two of you so I can make the photo IDs and some fake online pages. Oh, and I need your sizes too so I can send some clothes up." Sarah nods and starts to write down hers and Aaron's sizes on a sheet of paper. Aaron returns with the colors for their hair as Sarah finishes. Maria makes a stack and motions the two the basement of the house. She takes all the photographs necessary and the ones for the fake online accounts and school book pictures before leaving.

"I'm apparently a handyman now," Aaron tells Sarah as he looks at the sheet. "I'll be working in a shop."

"Beats mine, I'm teaching a physical education class and art class to the kids at the school," Sarah replies looking over her new life. Sarah Rogers is now Elizabeth Kaye while Aaron's new name is Peter Samson. They're both twenty five and looking at making a small family in the future once they find a home.

* * *

"Any sign of them?" Steve asks Tony.

"None," Tony replies. "If someone has them they're doing a good job of hiding them. On the other hand if they're hiding from us, they're doing a damn good job at it."

Steve growls. They'd been searching for almost a week now and they hadn't seen any sign of the kids anywhere. He walks to a wall and punches it in anger. "Why would they do this Tony? Why?"

"Maybe they wanted to get away for a while," Tony suggests. "Take a break from being superheroes."

"They could have just told us that!" Steve snaps.

"How would you have reacted Steve? To have your daughter, the spitting image of you, take off for a while leaving behind her family so she can go relax?" Tony counters. Steve thinks about it a few minutes and sighs softly knowing that Tony was right. "See."

"Fine. If you find them, just keep an eye on them," Steve mutters. "Don't want them killed." Steve walks off to the gym in anger and frustration.

* * *

Maria hands Sarah and Aaron their new IDs. "You're all set. The train will take you across Canada and then you'll take a plane to the town. The guy that runs the repair shop will be waiting for you. Be safe. I packed an emergency phone in Sarah's bag, if I have to call you or you call me. Be safe."

"Thank you Maria," Sarah says hugging her.

"You don't know what this means to us," Aaron tells her. Maria nods and watches them enter the train station. The pair board the train and find their room with overnight lodging. Aaron strokes Sarah's hair as they sit on the couch watching the world pass by. "I love you Sarah."

"I love you," Sarah murmurs back snuggling into his side. She kisses his cheek. Aaron smiles down at her and holds her close.

* * *

"Steve, can you get the baby?" Natasha whispers sleepily as James starts to cry. Steve gets up with a grunt and goes to the nursery. He finds that James needs a diaper change and a bottle. Steve changes his son and gets a bottle of breast milk from the fridge. He feeds his son silently but the boy continues to fuss.

"James, you need to calm down," Steve says after he'd finished the bottle and fussed more. Steve burps his son but it does not stop the fussing. Steve cradles the boy. "How about I tell you a story?" Steve starts to tell stories from the war and after a while the boy drifts off to sleep. Steve sets James down in the crib and sighs rubbing his face. Natalia appears in the doorway.

"Dad?" Natalia asks softly.

"Yes Natalia?" Steve asks looking up at his daughter. The child's face is covered in tears. "Oh sweetheart." Steve walks over picking her up and carrying her back to her room. He sits down with her and holds her as she cries softly.

"I miss Sarah," Natalia cries.

"I know, so do I, so do I," he murmurs holding her close and rocking her to sleep. Steve kisses Natalia's hair before walking to Sarah's room. He picks up the teddy bear and walks back to Natalia room slipping it into the red head's arms. Steve closes the door and goes to check on SJ. Steve opens the door by finds the room vacant. He follows a hunch and goes to the gym. SJ is beating up punching bag after punching bag. Steve notes how his skills are increasing with each blow. SJ breaks the bag and collapses to the ground in a heap. Steve walks forward and kneels next to his son. SJ looks up at him as Steve pulls the boy into his arms.

"How could she abandon us Dad?" SJ asks. "She just left us!"

"I wish I could tell you son, but I don't know either." Steve kisses his head and holds his son until the boy had fallen asleep. He takes SJ to his room and tucks his son in.

* * *

Loki stares into a bowl of water staring at it for a long time. He swears loudly and slams his hand into the side of the bowl sending it flying across his bedroom floor.

"Loki," Thor's voice says from behind him. Loki looks to his brother. "You are quite angry."

"I can't find her," Loki seethes. "I've looked so many times, used so many methods, but none of them worked! I even asked Heimdall to look for her but he could not find her either or wouldn't tell me. I worry brother." Loki grips the table he'd been holding in anger.

Thor walks closer to Loki and hugs his little brother. Loki hugs Thor back setting his head on Thor's shoulder. "Do not fret my brother," Thor says. "They will be fine, you and I both know that."

"If I could just see her," Loki murmurs. Thor pats Loki's back reassuring his brother. "What are you doing on Midgard. Shouldn't you be with Sif?"

"Sif wished to visit," Thor replies. "Sigyn came." Thor releases his brother and motions to the doorway. Sigyn smiles at Loki and comes forward to comfort her husband.

* * *

Clint pins Maria to a wall. "TELL ME THE TRUTH!"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Maria counters.

"The kids are gone, Sarah talked to you all those months ago. I'm she had an escape route planned," Clint snarls. "Where are they!"

"Clint, I can't," Maria says sternly. "I promised them. They just need time to be them."

"THEY CAN DO THAT AT HOME!"

"Not when they have to risk their lives every other day," Maria replies. "Clint, you and I both know it won't be permanent and I have a way to get in touch in emergencies. Just please."

"He's my boy," Clint growls.

"I know Clint."

* * *

Sarah looks at Aaron as they arrive at the airport in the small town. A large old heavy duty truck is waiting for them.

"Names McGuire," the man says greeting them. "Jason McGuire. Pleasure to meet you both."

"I'm Peter Samson and this is my fiancée Elizabeth Kaye," Aaron says without skipping a beat. "Pleasure to meet you. This place seems nice."

"It generally is," McGuire replies. "Well I'll take you to your place. The kids are on a vacation right now and I'm not busy so you two can settle into your place before you have to worry about working. We've got the snowmobile at your place running and there's a truck there that runs pretty good." McGuire takes their bags and puts them in the truck while Aaron and Sarah climb into the truck. The travel is full of talks about the community and what "Elizabeth" and "Peter" had done before this.

"Welcome to your new home," McGuire says as they arrive. There's a woman waiting there with a hot meal and a fire going. "Settle in. We'll see you Monday." They leave Sarah and Aaron alone.

"Wow," Aaron says looking at the nice little cabin.

"It's beautiful." Sarah says. She pulls him to the dinner table. The sheets on their bed are soft and warm. "I could get used to this place."

"Yeah," Aaron says holding her close.


	35. A Call Ten Months in the Making

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE AVENGERS OR MARVEL!**

* * *

*One Month Later*

"Get moving Cap!" Tony yells into the communicator as the building starts to implode.

"My leg's trapped!" Steve shouts at Tony. Steve pushes at the steel beam. A normal steel beam wouldn't have been an issue. This one was quite larger and heavier. Steve looks around frantic as the building start to collapse around him. A sudden roar and Hulk is standing over Steve protecting him. He tosses the beam off Steve's leg and picks him up. Hulk jumps out of the destruction zone just before it collapsed on where Steve had been.

"Steve!" Natasha yells spotting her wounded husband at the base camp. She runs for him and kneels next to the cot he's on. "Oh sweetheart."

"It's not as bad as it looks Tasha," Steve promises. Bruce, now Bruce again, tends to Steve's wound silently. The beam had cut into the man's leg. "How did the mission go?"

"All accounted for and target taken out," Natasha reports as she caresses his face. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine Natasha." Steve places a hand on the back of Natasha's head and brings her down to his face. He kisses her softly. "I'm fine love." Natasha nods and once Bruce is done lays next to Steve on the cot. "I love you."

"I love you too Steve," Natasha murmurs tracing hearts all over his chest.

* * *

"Ah!" SJ growls. "What's wrong with him?"

"Oh like I would know!" Natalia snaps back as James continues to cry. "He's been fed, he's been changed, burped. What does James want?!" James squirms and cries in his crib making grabby hands.

"Oh for the love of Odin," Sigyn mutters walking in and picking the child up. She shushes the child and sings softly until James falls asleep. "He wanted to be held," Sigyn says to them. Sigyn places the child in the crib and shoos the two out of the room. "Next time come get me instead of letting the child wake the whole house."

"It's not our fault that Mom and Dad are on a mission," SJ counters.

"Go to bed," Sigyn orders. Loki walks up as the two arguing siblings have at it. Loki kisses Sigyn's head and holds her close. "I want a child Loki. We lost our sons."

"I'd like a child," Loki murmurs into her ear. "Fret not my love, we'll be a full family again."

Sigyn smiles. Since Sarah and Aaron had left she'd decided to stay and help as much as she could. Now she doesn't want to leave.

* * *

Sarah smiles at all the children as they run around the small gym playing dodge ball. She'd grown to love her new job greatly. She glances at the clock. "All right kids, back to class. Time for math," Sarah announces.

"Yes Ms. Kaye," voices ring out. She watches them all file back into the main part of the small school. She goes to the kitchen which also served as the teacher's lounge. The science teacher is there and smiles at her.

"How are the kids today?" he asks.

"Marvelous," Sarah replies. "They were playing dodge ball all of my class." The teacher nods and they talk about trivial things. The school bell rings and the kids run rampant trying to find their parents and go home. Sarah walks out of the school after taking care of a few papers and heads for the center of town.

* * *

Aaron works silently on a truck that had broken down. He finishes replacing the starter and crawls out from under the vehicle only to be greeted by the face of his lovely girl. "Hello sweetheart."

Sarah smiles and pulls him to his feet. "How was your day?" she asks.

"Pretty good," Aaron replies kissing her cheek. "Just let me clean up and we'll head home." Sarah nods and sits on the hood of their truck in the street. A few more weeks and they'd be using the snowmobile. Snow was supposed to hit soon. Aaron comes back out after saying goodbye to McGuire. Sarah slips into the truck and they drive home to the cabin enjoying their peace. He smiles at her as he comes around to her door and picks her in his arms. Sarah giggles and wraps her arms around his neck as he carries her into the cabin. Aaron grins at her as they get inside and kisses her passionately.

"I'll cook dinner," Sarah tells him kissing his forehead. "Set the table."

"Yes ma'am." Sarah smiles and heads to the kitchen once he set her down. She cooks a simple meal and lays it out at the table. "Looks wonderful."

Sarah smiles at him. "Thank you dear." This had become a regular routine for them. Life was easy when you didn't have to worry about dying every day. Aaron smiles after dinner and carries her off to the bedroom.

* * *

Two Months Later

SJ slams a fist into the guard's mouth and runs ahead of Natalia. Natalia launches herself at an enemy robotic guard and topples it before severing the head from the body. She throws a small grenade in the robot before running faster and faster away from the robot. She catches up to her brother and slams into the door in front of them together. There they meet the rest of their family trying to kill the Red Skull. A large bomb goes off sending everyone flying. SJ struggles to sit up and a hand grabs his neck. He's pinned against a wall and the Skull examines him.

"You could be useful," Skull murmurs admiring SJ.

"Unhand my son!" Steve shouts and sends his shield at the Skull. Skull releases SJ before running off like the coward he is. Steve kneels next to SJ. "You all right?"

"I'm good," SJ replies nodding. SJ stands up in full suit. Natalia and Buck soon join him. He's rookie on the team but he still holds his own.

* * *

Peter stares at the device that Sarah had given them months ago. Loki had stepped up as leader in their group for now. He presses the call button and looks for Sarah's number in the directory.

"_Peter?" Sarah asks over the communicator. _

"Thank god you're alive," Peter breathes out. "I didn't even think you would hold onto this for fear of it being tracked."

_"I turned the tracker off," Sarah replies. "Is everything all right?" _

"We were worried," Loki pipes up.

"You've both had us scared," Laura says. "Why did you leave?"

_"We needed a break," Aaron tells her. "We needed some time where neither of us were in danger of dying. We saw the opportunity and took it." _

_"Sorry," Sarah replies softly. _

"Where are you? Just so we know," Emma says looking at the others. They'd come to the cabin together to try and contact them.

_"Alaska," Aaron replies. "Someplace remote and no one knows us. We'll come back guys, we don't know when but we will." _

"Just be safe," Rogue says firmly.

_"We will," Sarah promises. "The same goes for all you hooligans." _

_"We got to go. It's still early here and we need to finish sleeping," Aaron says. _

"Talk to you later," Loki says before Peter hangs up. Loki looks around. "They're safe."

"Alaska, really?" Laura scoffs. "I could find them in a few weeks if you all would let me," she mutters.

"No Laura, they need some time on their own," Wanda says firmly. "They can contact us if needed." The group just hangs out for the rest of the day.

* * *

Seven Months Later

"Steve," Maria whispers standing in the middle of the medical bay. "What happened?"

"We were surprised," Steve replies gritting his teeth in pain. "Red Hulk. Took SJ and Natalia. Wants Bruce in exchange."

"What do you want me to do Steve?" Maria asks.

"Get the kids back without giving up Bruce," Steve replies. The soldier passes out. Maria looks around shaking her head. The only ones still up and moving were Thor and Bruce. The others had been hurt. Maria glances at the two men who both come out into a meeting room with her.

"I can't go with Ross Maria," Bruce says firmly. "I can't."

"You won't have to," Maria replies. "I know someone that can help. Just stay put for now."

* * *

Sarah looks up from her desk as her phone rings. She opens her bag to find the emergency phone going off. The kids look at her as she answers the phone.

"Maria?" she asks nervously.

_"We need you to come in. Red Hulk took out everyone but Bruce and Thor. SJ and Natalia were captured," Maria tells Sarah. _

Sarah covers her mouth in shock. "Oh my god." Her eyes tear up. "Send a transport. I'll get Aaron and we'll be ready. Do I need to call in more back up?"

_"Yes. Only the Avengers were in the fight, Fury is thinking about calling in the Crew," Maria reports. _

"Tell Fury I'll round up a team and we'll be there soon. Can you send Bucky to pick us up?" Sarah asks standing up and going to find another teacher.

_"He's on his way now with gear for both of you. Sorry for ruining everything," Maria says. _

"Maria, I'd rather you call than not," Sarah replies. "See you soon." Sarah walks into the English teacher's room. "Ally."

"Yes Liz?" she asks.

"I have a family emergency," Sarah tells her. "I have to head home, my aunt sent a plane for me and Peter. I'm sorry. I don't know when I'll be back either."

"That's fine Sarah," Ally says and Sarah looks at her sharply. Ally pulls out a printed photo. "Found it a few weeks ago, didn't want to ruin it. Go, we'll be fine."

"Thank you Ally." Sarah runs out the door and through the streets to the shop. Aaron is talking with his boss when she arrives.

"Aaron," Sarah says sharply causing him to look at her instantly. "We got to go."

"Aaron?" McGuire asks. "Wait, like Aaron Barton?" Aaron nods and McGuire laughs heartedly. "I didn't believe my son when he said you were Bowman. Go." Aaron jumps in the truck and Sarah drives quickly back to the house. They get a few things before driving to the air field. Sarah pulls out her communicator as they sit waiting. She dials the number.

* * *

_**So can anyone guess who Sarah is calling in to help? Yes I'm having a bit of writing marathon. Something just clicked this weekend. I know their short chapters, I am sorry for that. **_


	36. Water and Electricity

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE AVENGERS OR MARVEL!**

* * *

Bucky lands the quinjet in the airfield with ease. He walks down the ramp with Laura a few steps behind him. The mutant hugs Sarah tightly.

"I was so worried," Laura murmurs.

"We brought you both suits and have a meeting point set up for all the team," Bucky tells Sarah. "It's twenty miles outside of the radar range of the base that Ross is holding Natalia and SJ." The pair nod understanding completely.

"Miss Kaye!" a voice yells and Sarah turns to see a few of the kids running up to her with Ally running behind. The kids latch onto Sarah. "Don't go," a little girl cries.

"We don't want you to die," an older one says clinging to Sarah's shoulders. Bucky and Laura watch surprised as the kids swarm her. Sarah hugs them all kissing their heads.

"I have to go kids, my family needs me," she says softly. "But I'll come back to visit as soon as I can. Maybe I'll even bring some superheroes with me," Sarah offers picking up the youngest child seven year old Kella. She hugs the child and kisses the tears away from her eyes.

"Superheroes?" Kella asks.

"Captain America, Iron Man, Black Widow, all the Avengers," Sarah says with a grin.

"You know them?" an older one asks.

"Kid, she's the daughter of Captain America," Laura tells him. She reveals some of her claws for a brief moment. "We're special." Ally looks at Bucky who moves his sleeve to reveal his metal arm.

"I'll bring them all here one day and you'll see," Sarah promises. "Now go with Miss Ally." The kids mutter and groan. Kella kisses her cheek and climbs into Ally's arms. "See you all." The kids back off a good bit while the four climb into the jet. Bucky takes off with ease as Laura gets the boxes of gear out. She hands the uniforms to Sarah and Aaron.

"Brand new," Laura tells them. Aaron changes first in the bathroom. He comes out in a suit very similar to Clint's but with a red coloring instead of Clint's secondary color of purple. His hair was also back to normal now thanks to a few chemicals. He adjust the bow in his hand and the crossbow gauntlets on his hands.

"Like the new uniform," he remarks.

Sarah walks into the bathroom and looks at the box. It had numbers pinned to the clothing items and instructions. Sarah strips down and puts the skin tight black suit with blue lines on. She zips the suit up and the lines light up. She pulls out a number of dark red metal cuffs and a pair of shorts. She slips the shorts on before clicking the metal cuffs in their correct places. One on both wrist, two more for her shins, one around the waist and another around the neck. The cuffs expand and lock into places. Her forearms and fingers were protected by a metal coating with repulsors on the end. The ones on her shins turned into shin guards. The one on her waist turned into a utility belt with sections that went down her thighs and locked in place by a chain design around her leg. Each section had a mount for a pistol and the belt held many surprises. The neck piece morphed into a neck guard and formed around her head with a clear sheet over her made of the same material her shields were made of. It read readouts of three separate small arc-reactors in the suit. The bottom of the metal covered her heart and a faint glow came from a clear piece there. She pulls out the heavy duty boots and vest last. She slips them on and glances at all her weapons. She arms up and looks her reflection in the mirror.

"You're back in action," she mutters looking at the uniform. She walks out after putting her clothes in the box. Aaron looks at her with a raised eye as she collapses the head piece. "Completely synced with my body," she tells him, "but it all comes off."

"Wow," Aaron chuckles.

* * *

The plane lands hours later in the middle of a field with a number of other vehicles. The second the four of them are off the jet Sarah is talked by Bruce and Thor. The two men hug her tightly.

"Never do that again," Thor orders.

"Hulk wanted to tear the planet apart," Bruce tells her. Sarah hugs them both and looks at her team.

"How did you manage this?" Bucky asks Sarah.

"League," Sarah says seriously, "two of our own were taken, two others hurt. I know I said I'd never call for your assistance with the Avengers but we were incredibly out matched otherwise."

"Don't worry Cher," Gambit chuckles charging a few cards, "the League protects their own."

"League?" Bucky asks.

"Us kids have our secrets too," Peter says with a grin. "What's the plan?" Peter asks Sarah. Sarah pulls out a map and lays it out. She glances at the members of her team.

"Here's the plan," Sarah starts and starts pointing.

* * *

Johnny Storm flies into the compound dodging artillery shells as he went. He melts a gun to nothing but slag and heads for another artillery station. "PIETRO! Got a clear path!" he shouts.

Pietro runs past and slides up to the door. He starts trying all the combinations to the door until the door opens and he smiles. "Door is all clear! Lorna, Wanda, move it!"

Lorna comes flying in with Tim hovering behind her. The two hit the ground and head into the building. Their target was the communication and defense system. Tim shoots five guards on their way in while Lorna did more for defense.

Wanda stands at the gateway to the compound. With a few hexes the compound's exterior was down. "Team four you are go," Wanda says firmly before going to join the fight with Pietro and Johnny.

* * *

Laura nods to Rogue and Gambit. She slams through the grate letting them into the guard tower. Rogue slides out with Gambit right behind. Gambit charges a card and sets off an explosion out the window. He goes to the roof with his bag of tricks and unleashes hell on the inner compound opposite the side that Wanda's team was attacking.

Laura slices through the doors and takes four bullets to the chest causing her to drop for a moment. She launches at the attackers receiving more wounds but giving Rogue the opening she needed.

Rogue slides into the control room and puts an exposed hand on the head of security's forehead. She lets him drop and takes the information she had gathered and puts it to use. She hits the ear piece she has in.

"Team three you are all clear, back door is wide open."

* * *

Sharon Carter jumps over the fence and tackles a guard. Ava does likewise as Peter swings in and busts the door down. The three run into the building headed for the detention center. They arrive only to find the whole building deserted.

"Star, we got a problem," Peter says. "The detention center is deserted."

_"Come again?" Sarah asks. _

"No one is here," Ava reports.

_"Get up to our level," Aaron orders. "We'll need the back up then." _

"On our way," Sharon reports as the three of them take off running.

* * *

Luke busts down the door to the gym. Danny jumps over his head taking out the guards left and right. Sam flies in and starts to destroy the vehicles around them. Luke takes on the tanks. Twenty minutes later…

"Base camp, this is team 2, the garage is wrecked, we're headed to the labs to destroy some experiments," Luke reports.

_"Get on it," Bucky orders. _

* * *

Sarah walks up to the door slowly. Aaron is right behind her. She peeks through the glass and growls. Her siblings are being held next to a pool of water, both are heavily bound. She growls and slams the door open causing General Ross to look up at her.

"You son of a bitch," she snarls leveling her pistol at his head. "Let my siblings go."

"I thought you had died," Ross muses. "Where's Bruce?"

"Sarah!" Sarah glances and sees Betty there chained to the wall. "Please not Bruce!"

"Bruce is safe from your psychotic hands General Ross," Sarah growls. She glances at her siblings who both look like they've been through hell and back. "You hurt my brother and sister and for that you're going to pay with your life."

"Then you lose them," Ross replies and pushes both of them into the pool.

"NO!" Sarah runs as fast as she can to the pool dropping her gun. She dives into the pool grabbing Natalia. She throws her sister clear of the water as an arrow flies and hits the General in the heart. Sarah grabs her brother from the bottom and swims up throwing him out of the water as the General's hand hit a button in his hand. Sarah screams as the water is electrified and her body seizes up before convulsing and sending her to the bottom of the pool. A glass cover went over the pool preventing Aaron from getting to her.

"We need back up!" Aaron screams into the communicator. "Someone with a lot of power of a way to break this glass! Hurry! Bruce, we need medical!" Aaron beats on the glass and launches arrows at it trying to break it. He screams as Sarah stops moving at the bottom of the pool. Behind him feet are running. Suddenly Natalia and SJ are beating on the glass and Betty is prying the controller from her father's dead hand. Peter takes it and the electricity shuts off in seconds. Luke growls and jumps up in the arm coming down and hitting the glass with all the force he had. The glass cracks and Luke climbs off. Thor flies in with Bruce and Bucky running in. Thor smashes the glass apart. Aaron dives into the water and goes to the bottom. He tries to pull Sarah up but the armor is too heavy. Bucky is next to him then and the two of them haul her to the top of the water.

"Get her up here," Bruce orders. Peter pulls her from the water as the armor moves and Bruce can get to her chest. Bruce checks for a pulse and then starts to perform CPR.

"Come on," Aaron cries crawling out of the water with Bucky. "Sarah! Damn it wake up!" Bruce tries for a long time but only succeeded in getting water from her lungs. He looks at Aaron who starts sobbing. "No. No!" He crawls around to her head sobbing. He kisses her forehead softly and brushes her hair way from her face. "Sarah you need to wake up. Come on, wake up please."

"I think it's too late Aaron," Peter says softly.

"Hela, if you can," Thor murmurs, "bring her back to us. All-Father if she is with you in Valhalla please bring her back. If she is with another god, let her come back please." The room is silent for a few moments. If Thor had been watching he would have seen the slight glow before Sarah's chest expanded and she coughed spitting water all over. Aaron sobs in relief and Bruce sits Sarah up. The blond coughs repeatedly leaning into Bruce for support. There wasn't a dry eye in the whole room, well other than the General's of course. Natalia and SJ hug Sarah and Aaron hugs all three of them. Sarah takes a few moments to realize what happened and hugs them all back.

"God stop dying on us!" Laura snaps.

"Sis," SJ cries. "You came for us."

"Of course I came," Sarah says kissing his head and Natalia's. "You're my siblings, I'd die for you."

"We've missed you," Natalia cries.

"I've missed you," Sarah says softly. "Let's go home." With help everyone stood up but it was soon discovered that Sarah couldn't walk so Thor carried her.

* * *

"Sarah," Thor says softly as he carries her into the helicarrier hours later, "did you go to the afterlife?"

Sarah nods softly snuggling in close. "I was somewhere so nice."

"Who brought you back?" Thor inquires.

"She was wearing black, reminded me of Loki," Sarah murmurs. "Said she heard a prayer of a god and took mercy. Thank you."

"How did you know it was me?" Thor asks.

"You were the only god present," Sarah replies. "Thank you Thor." He smiles and kisses the top of her head as he walks into the infirmary. The doctor didn't take long to clear her health.

* * *

Sarah works on the paperwork in front of her as she sits between her mother's and father's bed. She sighs softly and sets the paperwork down. It had been a week since the rescue and no one had woken up yet. An agent walks in hands Sarah a package. She thanks him and opens it. She smiles at all the letters in the box.

"Wow," she chuckles looking at all the letters from the kids. She opens one and smiles. "All right Dad, you like reading so let me read you some of these letters." She clears her throat. "Dear Miss Rogers, why didn't you say that you were an Avenger's kid? Or that you were a superhero? We're already missing you and Aaron. There was this nice lady that came and got these letters from us. She said maybe you could bring your family to see us. Tell the Captain that he's my favorite, he saved my great grandfather in the war…" Sarah continues reading for hours. She comes to the end of the last letter setting it back in the box.

"Sound like some wonderful kids," Steve says softly. Sarah looks up and her eyes get watery. "Hello sweetheart, good to see you."

"Oh Daddy," Sarah cries climbing onto the bed and hugging him. Steve hugs back and kisses her forehead. "I missed you so much."

"I know you did but I'm glad you got to spread your wings some," Steve whispers. "Your siblings?"

"They're back safe. Sigyn is watching them and James. Everyone made it out of the mission safe," Sarah replies.

"Good," Steve says with a smile. "You've grown up more sweetheart."

"Is that good or bad?" she asks.

"Good," Steve replies brushing her hair back from her eyes.

"Sarah," Bruce says from the doorway. "I need to check your lungs one last time." Sarah nods and Bruce comes over. He checks her breathing and then on Steve. "Any aftermath Sarah?" Bruce inquires.

"Nope regained everything," Sarah replies.

"Good. I'll see you later." Bruce walks out and Steve looks at Sarah.

"What?" she asks.

"What happened?" Steve asks in concern.

"I died," Sarah replies. "Thor said it was Hela that brought me back."

"How?" Steve asks softly.

"General Ross knocked Natalia and SJ into a pool. I dove in and got them out but he electrocuted the pool and put a cover over it. They tried CPR but nothing worked until Thor sent a prayer to a few deities. I'm alive," Sarah promises. She smiles softly at Steve. "We're both alive," she says putting a hand to her stomach softly.

"Sarah, are you saying what I think you're saying?" Steve asks. Sarah nods. "How did it survive?"

"Must have been attached to my soul," Sarah replies with a tear in her eye. "Healthy and alive."

"I'm going to be a grandfather," Steve says in disbelief. He smiles at her. "Congratulations."

"Thank you Daddy. Now to tell Mom and the Bartons," Sarah whispers. "Plus Aaron and I should probably marry soon before I get big."

Steve smiles and brings her down kissing her forehead. "Everything will be fine." Sarah smiles and nods.

* * *

**It drives me nuts how Mary Sue Sarah turned out to be. **


	37. Family and Open Endings

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE AVENGERS OR MARVEL!**

* * *

Aaron looks over at Sarah as she pilots the jet to the grassy landing of the airport. The white haired woman smiles at her now husband, happily married two years now. They kiss softly before climbing out of the cockpit to the main section.

"Sarah, can you take Howard? Aaron, Barney wants you," Clint says as the young couple climbs back. The two smile and take their young sons from the arms of their grandparents.

"Ready?" Sarah asks them. The group nods picking up children here and there as a few other jets landed around them. The ramp lowers and causing Aaron and Sarah to smile at the sight. Ally waves from the middle of the townspeople.

Sarah and Aaron walk down the ramp first and are barraged with hugs and kisses by kids and adults alike. Sarah smiles as she reaches Ally and gives her a one armed hugged.

"Aw, who is this little fella?" Ally asks motion to the fifteen month old in Sarah's arms.

"This is my son Howard Barton," Sarah replies running a hand through the boy's blond hair. "Aaron has Barney his twin." Aaron makes his way up and hugs Ally. Ally coos over the babies as a gasp rings out from the kids.

"It's the Avengers!" someone shouts.

"I promised didn't I?" Sarah questions them as she makes her way back to her family. "Townspeople, meet my family, the Avengers." The Avengers and family mingle with the locals. The Super Crew soon joins the mingling while Natalia and SJ are stuck babysitting toddlers.

Aaron walks over to Sarah and wraps an arm around her. "I love you," he whispers kissing her temple. "Nick says the school will be done in a few months and we'll be assigned to it."

"I'll enjoy that," Sarah chuckles. "I never imagined we could have a superhero life and a normal one too." Aaron smiles at her. "Things are so simple. Our family is whole."

* * *

A week later SJ walks into a dark warehouse in New York. He walks up to a throne and kneels before it.

"What is the status?" the figure on the throne inquires.

"They suspect nothing. They believe I am true to their cause," SJ replies looking up. "Herr Schmidt."

The Red Skull smiles and stands up patting the boy on the head. "Your allegiance comforts me, boy. Dismissed." SJ walks out of the building and a few miles later ends up in a pub. He sits down across from a figure.

"What does the Red Skull think?" the figure asks SJ softly.

"That I am true to his cause and disloyal to the Avengers," SJ replies. "I don't like this plan."

"We need to get close. Its better this way," the figure says firmly. The figure reaches over and ruffles SJ's hair. "You are ready for this. The Skull will fall by our hand, it will take time." A swipe of white hair shifts out of the figure's hood and a smile flashes on feminine lips. "Go home." SJ nods and leaves the pub without a word. Another man sits down and kisses the figure's hand.

"We are ready," he tells the figure.

"We might have lost many fights but we will still win the war my love," the figure says softly.

* * *

_**I didn't realize upon writing this chapter and the last that this chapter here would be the last one for this story. I'm still debating a sequel hence the open ending here. I didn't even plan the abrupt ending either but it feels fitting for the story in a way. Well, if I do make a sequel I will let you all know.**_


End file.
